UFC gave us a glimpse into what to expect from the PPV event set to go down in Las Vegas at The Sphere and much to the dismay of Dana White and co., fans weren’t too pleased with what the promotion had to offer. They were most particularly unimpressed by the inclusion of Riyadh into the proceedings, considering it was supposed to be called UFC 306 before the official announcement.
As revealed by the UFC, UFC 306 will now be called Riyadh Season Noche UFC and it’s unclear whether it will be a PPV card. The event will take place on September 14, later this year.
Riyadh Season Noche UFC is one of the costliest events in the history of sports
UFC President Dana White had recently told Shannon Sharpe that he has already spent in the excess of $16 million for the event and calls it a one-and-done effort by the UFC.
“I’m already $16 million into this thing.” He said.
“This will never be replicated. Anybody who comes in after me into The Sphere is (expletive). We’re working on [the card] and tweaking it every day. Everybody should want to be on that card. Believe me when I tell you, everybody was all fired up about UFC 300. This thing is going to be, you know, and again, if you are Mexican and you are on this, it’s just going to be like nothing anybody’s ever seen before.” He further added.
With the kind of money that the UFC has put into making this event a huge success, it won’t be wrong to assume that the promotion might look to have the PPV revenue model for Riyadh Season UFC Noche. However, if that’s not the case, promoting the event under the “Riyadh Season” banner does make sense financially.
Saudi Arabia has become home to some of the greatest sporting events in recent while and the country has not hesitated in investing heavily on these events. Fans were quick to address this on social media, and expressed their displeasure about the same.
While tickets are on sale for the hugely anticipated Riyadh Season Noche UFC, there’s been no confirmation on the fights set to take place on September 14. Needless to say, the card will start shaping up in the coming weeks, but fans are already picking Conor McGregor vs Michael Chandler to headline the event.
Earlier, Sean O’Malley vs Merab Dvalishvili was looking like a done deal for Riyadh Season UFC Noche, previously UFC 306. However, there has been no official confirmation by the UFC. Brian Ortega had also stated that he intends to make his lightweight debut during the Mexican Independence Day. Alexa Grasso vs Valentina Shevshenko or Manon Fiorot is also another fight that’s likely to happen on the card.
Who do you think will headline Riyadh Season UFC Noche? Do let us know in the comments section.