After Sphere: Which UFC event locations will come next? - ESPN

The UFC is embarking on its most ambitious venture yet when UFC 306 takes place at Sphere in Las Vegas on Saturday. The $2.3 billion venue will be the setting for what UFC CEO Dana White has promised will be the «greatest sporting event of all time.»

The event, which is being branded as Riyadh Season Noche UFC, is on track to be by far the biggest production in the history of the MMA promotion. White's claim appears to have credibility, between the haptic seats that vibrate with every strike and slam, which will allow fans in attendance to «feel the action,» a massive 160,000-square-foot interior display plane, what has been described as «the world's most advanced audio system» by U2 guitarist Edge and the six-chapter film «For Mexico, For All Time» that will play between fights.

With a production budget that started at $8 million, it has exceeded $20 million, according to White. UFC 306 will be a «one-and-done» event, White said, as he pushes forward with an opportunity to do unprecedented productions that other sports leagues dream of.

«I love being first,» White said during a recent Instagram Live. «I love doing things that people believe can't be done.»

White's ambitions won't end with Noche UFC, and the appetite for his MMA organization to expand its global reach and continue touching untapped markets will grow.

ESPN spoke with fighters, coaches and agents to find out where the promotion could take its events in 2025 and beyond. Plus, what are the challenges and opportunities for breaking new ground in new countries and the plans for UFC Apex and Riyadh Season?

White's ambitions were on full display during the COVID-19 pandemic. White was bullish in ensuring his promotion continued to put on events when the rest of