McGregor's heir & historic trilogy - inside UFC's $20m Sphere

Dana White was astatine a U2 performance successful Las Vegas past twelvemonth erstwhile the inspiration struck him.

It wasn't U2's amusement which influenced the UFC president, it was the grandeur of the venue successful which they performed.

White was watching the Irish stone set successful the marque caller Sphere - the largest spherical gathering successful the satellite with an exterior coated successful truthful galore LED screens, its glow can beryllium seen from space., external

More screens decorate the wrong of the 17,385-seat venue, helping to present an immersive acquisition for fans which near White dreaming of hosting a UFC amusement successful the aforesaid vein.

Almost a twelvemonth later, White's imaginativeness has travel to fruition with the promotion acceptable to big the "greatest unrecorded combat sports amusement anybody has ever seen", erstwhile Riyadh Season Noche UFC takes spot connected Saturday.

The show, described arsenic a "love missive to Mexico" by White to observe Mexican Independence Day, sees American bantamweight champion Sean O'Malley support his rubric against Georgia's Merab Dvalishvili successful the main event.

The co-main lawsuit features Mexico's Alexa Grasso, who defends her flyweight loop against Kyrgyzstan's Valentina Shevchenko successful the archetypal women's trilogy combat successful UFC history.

Two mouth-watering contests, but volition the fights beryllium the main attraction of the evening?

The UFC has spent $20m (£15.3m) to big the event, with White describing it arsenic a "one and done, erstwhile successful a beingness experience".

Inside the Sphere are a further 160,000 quadrate feet of LED screens which volition amusement a movie during the event, divided into chapters, that "pays tribute to Mexican radical for their bonzer contributions to combat sports".

"We telephone them worlds and each combat volition unrecorded wrong this world," said White.

"And the satellite volition germinate arsenic the combat is going connected but it volition beryllium precise subtle. Clouds volition move, fires volition burn, birds volition fly, whatever."

"If you're Mexican this volition beryllium similar a Rocky movie for you guys."

White says the UFC faced a fig of logistical issues successful preparing for the event, but the biggest situation was usurping the Sphere.

"When I was astatine the Sphere watching the U2 show, you realise the Sphere is the prima of the show," added White.

"So our biggest challenge, different than lighting, was 'how bash you marque the Sphere the prima of the show, but not during the fights'?"

The show, antecedently called UFC 306, marks the archetypal clip the organisation has partnered with a sponsor, with the lawsuit being rebranded to Riyadh Season Noche UFC.

It is the latest high-profile sporting lawsuit to diagnostic Saudi Arabian marketing, with the Kingdom spending billions connected boxing, football, golf, snooker and more.

But the state continues to look disapproval for utilizing athletics to divert attraction distant from its mediocre quality rights grounds - a process known arsenic sportswashing.

Despite the maturation of MMA, no-one is yet to execute the level of designation extracurricular the athletics arsenic erstwhile treble UFC champion Conor McGregor.

O'Malley has drawn comparisons to the Irishman due to the fact that of his assurance and breathtaking knockout power, and determination are signs the UFC spot the 29-year-old arsenic the heir to McGregor's throne erstwhile it comes to prima power.

When O'Malley bushed Aljamain Sterling for the rubric past year, the promotion shared the knockout connected societal media to a worldwide assemblage - thing it seldom does owed to rights deals with assorted broadcasters.

Now the organisation has selected O'Malley arsenic the look of its ambitious Sphere show.

"When you speech astir Conor's personality, the happening helium ever did was present connected the large fights, each azygous time," said White.

"In this athletics erstwhile you person what Sean O'Malley has, and you tin spell retired and triumph the large fights... and O'Malley is simply a astute kid similar Conor too, helium conscionable gets it."

O'Malley says UFC Noche could supply the springboard to becoming the UFC's biggest prima - if McGregor loses his adjacent fight.

The 36-year-old is owed to look American Michael Chandler but a day is yet to beryllium acceptable aft McGregor pulled retired of their June bout with injury.

"I deliberation I’m precise close. I deliberation Conor has 1 large combat near successful him, but there's a large question people – tin helium travel backmost and bushed Michael Chandler?" said O'Malley.

"If helium loses, I would presume I'm there, I'm the guy, I'm the fig one."

The co-main lawsuit sees Grasso renew her present historical rivalry with Shevchenko.

Grasso, 31, stunned Shevchenko past March, ending the 36-year-old's tally of 7 consecutive flyweight rubric defences.

The brace fought successful a rematch past September with Grasso retaining her loop successful a draw, earlier they faced disconnected arsenic opposing coaches connected the world TV amusement the Ultimate Fighter earlier this year.

"We shared a batch of clip successful there. No, we're not friends, but we're ace nonrecreational and that's ace important for me,” said Grasso.

"I've been watching her warring since I was young and it's conscionable thing truly chill to beryllium capable to beryllium astatine this level with idiosyncratic erstwhile I've been watching her vocation for truthful long.

"The archetypal combat was amazing. Second was astonishing too, and I tin expect nary little from the 3rd one."