UFC 306 will now go by another name after the promotion partnered with Riyadh Season for the event at Sphere in Las Vegas.
The event celebrating Mexican Independence Day takes place Sept. 14 and will now be the first time the UFC has allowed a sponsor to have title partner status, officially rebranding UFC 306 as “Riyadh Season Noche UFC.” The promotion announced the change in a press release Wednesday.
UFC will be the first to produce a live sporting event from Sphere, which opened last September. According to UFC CEO Dana White, the event will be the only time the promotion holds an event at the venue.
“This will be one of the biggest sporting events of all time,” White said in a statement. “What we’re going to pull off at Sphere will never be done again. This will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience for sports fans. At the same time, this is going to be an incredible tribute to the Mexican people for their extraordinary contributions to combat sports. We’re thrilled that Turki Alalshikh and the Saudi General Entertainment Authority have stepped up to partner with us to make this the greatest event in the history of combat sports. Their participation shows just how massive the interest is from all over the world. Riyadh Season Noche UFC will be unforgettable.”
Saudi Arabia’s chairman of the general entertainment authority for entertainment, Turki Alalshikh, said in a statement: “This will be a milestone moment as it will be the first sporting event to take place at Sphere in Las Vegas. The UFC brand is recognized globally with its huge fanbase, and this aligns with our own vision for Riyadh Season to collaborate to create and stage world-class events.”
At the time of the release, no fights have been officially announced, although Alexa Grasso vs. Valentina Shevchenko 3 has long been discussed to take place at the event.
