UFC CEO Dana White is seen on stage during the UFC Fight Night ceremonial weigh-in at Enterprise Center on May 10, 2024 in St Louis, Missouri.

With an ambition to stage ‘the greatest live sports event of all time’, Dana White has spent $16 million on making UFC 306 a truly spectacular show.

The eagerly-anticipated card will take place at the newly-designed Las Vegas Sphere, which cost $2.3 billion to make and has garnered a reputation for its aesthetically stunning concerts.

UFC CEO Dana White is seen on stage during the UFC 300 press conference at MGM Grand Garden Arena on April 11, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Dana White has spent $16 million on making UFC 306 a card to remember

The arena, which has staged heavy hitters of the music industry, has grasped the attention of Dana White, who’s booked out the spectacular venue on September 14, two days before Mexican Independence Day.

During an interview on the Club Shay Shay podcast, he discussed his ambitions. He explained: “I’m already $16 million into this thing. This will never be done again. This will never b`e replicated.

“Anybody who comes in after me at The Sphere is f*****. F*****. One and done. It will be the greatest live sporting event anyone has ever seen.”

“Everybody was all fired up about UFC 300; this card is going to be [even better]. It’s going to be like nothing anyone has ever seen before for a live event.”

And with White promising so much, the organization will need a huge main event.

Could Conor McGregor headline UFC 306 at The Sphere?

Currently, the UFC is yet to announce the headline attraction. However, that hasn’t stopped the world from speculating that Conor McGregor will make his triumphant return.

‘The Notorious’ was scheduled to take on Michael Chandler at UFC 303 later this month, until an injury forced the Irishman to pull out. However, with the appetite for the fight rife among fans and the fighters themselves, what better place to settle their differences than the Sphere?

And McGregor’s teammate has heard rumblings that the UFC have set their sights on securing the Dubliner’s return for September.

Conor McGregor attends "Road House" New York Premiere at Jazz at Lincoln Center on March 19, 2024 in New York City.
Photo by Manoli Figetakis/WireImage
Peter Queally told talkSPORT MMA: “It seems like they will endeavor to make that fight in September time. Something like that, maybe. That’s what I’m hearing. That’s what you can look forward to if they can make it happen.”

While the Bellator star never mentioned the Sphere specifically, UFC 306 is currently the only scheduled PPV for that month. But with so many options on the table, there are a plethora of match-ups that could secure that all-important main event slot.

He added: “This is my love letter to Mexico, the Mexican people, and the history of combat in Mexico. It’s gonna be done in the greatest arena ever built with the best technology in the world right now as far as arenas go.”

2024 has been a major year for the promotion, with UFC 300 delivering a remarkable celebration of mixed martial arts. The major card delivered in a big way, with Alex Pereira producing a stunning first-round finish over Jamahal Hill, while Max Holloway treated the world to a moment worthy of picking up the BMF belt, when he pointed to the floor with ten seconds to go and rendered Justin Gaethje unconscious.

But despite that, White believes the fight night at the Sphere will be even better. He beamed: “We’re working on it [UFC 306 card] and tweaking it every day. Everybody should want to be on that card.