If you find yourself being an avid UFC fan like myself, then you definitely didn’t miss the once in a lifetime event on Saturday, Noche UFC 306 which celebrated Mexican Independence Day, and was it ever a good card. Even if you are in the casual fan category, you probably tuned in Saturday night just because it was just a card you wouldn’t wanna miss, as UFC President Dana White said this will be the only event held at the Sphere in Las Vegas.

https://twitter.com/ufc/status/1833538837563510962

Now personally, I haven’t been to the Sphere yet, but I have been itching to go, it’s a need not a want as there truly is no other arena like this one. Well if you’re from Vancouver you could say that it looks like Science World due to its spherical architecture, but the inside is a totally different landscape.

This spectacle was different from any other Sphere event though, as I don’t know about you but I couldn’t think of any other circumstance where a Sphere event had been televised before, with the only thing that could come to mind being this years NHL Draft, so UFC was put on a pedestal, and they had to pop out and show out. You could’ve actually been lucky enough to walk away with $25,000 by just watching the event, as prior to each fight, a 90 second short film would be projected and set the tone for the upcoming fight, by highlighting Mexico’s contribution to combat sports and mixed martial arts, as well as shining a spotlight on Mexican Independence Day. I can’t lie, that was a big hit as I felt like I was in the arena watching an in your face immersive experience. 

https://twitter.com/SphereVegas/status/1835366265172766721

Now let me tell you why I think the event was a slight miss, or why some aspects were weaker than others. First off, I thought it may have been only my TV, but if you were watching then you probably noticed how odd it sounded. For some fights, the crowd volume was so low and you could really only hear the corners of the fighters coaching, and it felt like we were in the Apex in Vegas rather than the Sphere. The huge LED screen created a problem for sound waves to travel properly and it was picked up funny on the broadcast. I feel like during the fight, the huge screen could’ve been put to way better use, as the fights were displayed on two rectangular screens with the rest of the LED display showcasing scaffolding and ‘Noche UFC’ I just wasn’t a fan whatsoever.

While I could go on and on about the nitty gritty of stuff I didn’t like, I can appreciate the event that we got, as it was truly unlike any other UFC event I’ve ever tuned in to. The fights were top notch as well, as you got to see two new champions be crowned, as well as a potential fight of the year contender, it was a burn the house down, slug fest, type of night. Yes, you might say that there were no finishes on the main card, but you have to appreciate that every fight had great or interesting moments from start to finish. Do you think the UFC Sphere was utilized correctly, or do you think Dana White dropped the ball? Or maybe you’re right with me and your opinion is directly in the middle, either way, you won’t see something like this for years to come, so appreciate it while you have it.