Dana White vows to hold next Noche UFC event at the Las Vegas Sphere: 'Imagine the show I can put on'

05/10/2023 18:00

The Sphere in Las Vegas — Photo by Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Dana White wants to up the ante for the UFC's next Mexican Independence Day event.

Following the critically acclaimed debut of U2's concert series at The Sphere, the UFC CEO revealed he's all in on taking a show to Las Vegas' new $2.3 billion state-of-the-art venue.

"It's not [just] a, 'check it out,'" White said Tuesday night in Las Vegas. "I'm sure you guys that are here in Vegas, everybody was buzzing about the U2 concert on Saturday.

"They said it was incredible. The guys from MSG, whom I have a great relationship with the guys who own it, MSG does everything right. Usually, let me tell you what happens — and you've probably been a part of this — when a restaurant opens for the first night, when a hotel opens for the first night, it's a s***-show, and there's lots of bad things, they're trying to figure it out. I haven't heard one negative thing about the opening of The Sphere. The exact opposite, everybody talked about how incredible it was."

Owned and operated by the Madison Square Garden Company, The Sphere is a unique 18,600-seat arena which has the distinction of being the most expensive entertainment venue ever constructed in the history of Las Vegas. Irish rock band U2 opened its three-month run of shows at the venue this past Saturday to widespread acclaim.

White said he heard nothing but good feedback about the grand opening. Now he wants in, and he already has an ideal date in mind for the UFC's first foray at The Sphere.

After pledging to make Noche UFC an annual event on his promotion's calendar, White vowed to take next year's celebration of Mexican Independence Day to the new venue.

"First of all, the balls to open that place and to do what they're doing, and then to come in and hit an absolute grand slam home run with the opening," White said. "And you all know that I want that date — that's what I want, I want to do Mexican Independence Day there. Imagine the show that I can put on at The Sphere with Mexican Independence Day. So yeah, we'll f****** put on an incredible show in that amazing arena for the next Mexican Independence Day. So I'm very excited about it."