Noche UFC first look: What Sphere looks like before the fights begin

LAS VEGAS — The doors have opened to Noche UFC at Sphere, the $2.3 billion concert and entertainment venue that on Saturday is hosting its first, and quite possibly last, sporting event.

UFC CEO Dana White attended a U2 concert not long after the venue opened in September 2023 and vowed to put a fight card into the facility.

More than $20 million later, fight time has arrived, with a 10-bout card that will be a cacophony of light, sound and color that is White’s tribute to the Mexican people.

The Sphere is a theater and not in the round like a normal arena where the UFC puts a card. As a result, it created enormous logistical issues to light the Octagon and show the action without taking away from the competition.

The Octagon is close to the far wall, with two giant screens carrying the normal UFC videos. The rest will be videos created specifically for the event that will play on wall continuously.

The movies will slow during the fights, but they will never stop. They will trace the history of Mexico from the beginning of time into the future.

Different than most UFC events, there will be 10 Octagon girls working the fights. Each woman will work one bout because it takes so long for them to be made up and dressed in their authentic Mexican outfits. None of them are among the UFC’s regular Octagon girls.

On the Atrium, a giant UFC belt is among the decorations. There is a hologram of White speaking English and Spanish, welcoming fans to the venue. There is a Mariachi band playing on the concourse throughout the night.

Haptic feedback will be in about 10,000 seats (though not for the media). The seats will shake when there is a slam, for instance, in the action.

Sean O’Malley will defend the bantamweight title in the main event against Merab Dvalishvili. Alex Grasso will put her women’s flyweight belt on the line in a trilogy fight against Valentina Shevchenko.

Raul Rosas made history by recording the first victory in the Sphere. The 19-year-old bantmaweight scored a unanimous decision victory over Aoriqileng.

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