Dana White teases UFC 306 at The Sphere will make the NHL Draft look like 'kids playing with crayons'
07/01/2024 09:44 AM
Dana White raises expectations for UFC 306 as being not only the greatest UFC event ever but the best live sporting event in history.
Earlier this week, the National Hockey League held their annual Draft event at the $2.3 Billion megastructure with those in attendance reportedly being 'blown away' by the technological masterpiece that is the world's largest single LED screen, which wraps around the entire arena.
Dana White teases UFC 306 at The Sphere will eclipse stunning NHL Draft
UFC 306, also known as Riyadh Season Noche UFC, is an upcoming PPV card that is set to take place at The Sphere in Las Vegas on September 14, 2024.
Whilst MMA fans are still waiting for confirmation of the fights and fighters who will be gracing this historic event, UFC President Dana White is certainly setting some big expectations ahead of the Mexican Independence Day celebrations.
At the NHL Draft, every single inch of the enormous screen was painted with team logos, player profiles, and live video feeds with the official rankings appearing in a gigantic list that stretched from the top of the 580,000 square-foot screen all the way to the main stage.
Unsurprisingly, it didn't take long before Dana White teased that such a display was mere 'child's play' compared to what he and his team have planned for UFC 306 in September.
"What I did see was when the rankings [or] draft thing went all the way up – that's going to be like f***** kids playing with crayons compared to what we're going to do.
"Literally, kids playing with crayons."
White shared how the inaugural MMA event at the megastructure will "be the most incredible thing that anybody has ever seen in sports," revealing that the UFC board of directors had only just given their approval for his vision.
"Today was a big day because our board of directors flew out to see where the f*** all this money was going. I built this whole room out that walks you through exactly what's going to happen at The Sphere.
"So, I walked everybody through it today, our board of directors were just f***** blown away and everybody's so pumped about this thing – the fights will be announced soon, there's a lot of production that has to start tomorrow."
Dana White says UFC 306 will see The Sphere's potential truly realized
Yet there's far more to the UFC 306 broadcast than simply utilizing the enormous screen with static images, with White confirming that the UFC production team will require four separate trucks to help with the show, three more than usual.
"We have assembled the most rockstar team on the planet, I mean the amount of Oscars, Emmys, Grammy's, the list goes on and on. There will be a director who will be filming the inside of The Sphere to make people at home feel like they're there.
"What we're attempting to pull off, this will never ever be replicated."
According to White, the reason why such a sporting spectacle will never be replicated again isn't to do with the technical specifics, but because of the sheer investment that has already gone into UFC 306.
"Nobody will ever do this again; it won't make sense [because] it's too much money," laughed White, who previously suggested that it had already cost the promotion over $16 million to stage the event.
"This will be one of the greatest things you've ever seen live.
"The Sphere will be the biggest gate of all time; it won't be the greatest UFC event of all time; it will be the greatest sporting event of all time."
The UFC graces The Sphere for the first (and likely last time) on September 14, 2024, for what should be a show for the ages.
