The UFC is in a tough place at the moment. Since the monumental spectacle that was UFC 300, the world’s largest MMA promotion has struggled to put together exciting cards.
Month after month, the UFC has put on bad to decent cards that haven’t captured the imagination and interest that was seen earlier this year.
The Sphere is a venue that towers over Paradise, Nevada. Since opening in September of 2023, it has already become one of the most renowned venues in the entire world.
The UFC, coming off a few bad cards, announced their trip to The Sphere. Dana White, the commissioner of the promotion stated that, “This is going to be the greatest sporting event ever done.”
After months of speculation as to what would be on the card, White finally announced that three high stakes and exciting fights would headline it: Sean O’Malley facing Merab Dvalishvili for the Men’s Bantamweight Championship, Alexa Grasso vs Valentina Shevchenko for the Women’s Flyweight Championship, and a featherweight bout between Diego Lopes and Brian Ortega.
Unfortunately, outside of the three headlining fights, fans of the UFC have complained about the shallowness and quality of the card.
Many of the criticisms that the card has received are a direct result of White’s over promotion. Levi Shearer (12) said, “I was really excited when they announced that they were going to the sphere, but after I actually saw the match ups I was pretty disappointed.”
Another issue that fans are concerned with is the lack of fights on the card. As of now, there are only 10 fights on The Sphere card, deeming the Mexican Independence Day theme futile to many with the main event not featuring a Mexican fighter.
Greeley Ball (10) said, “I think this is just a really bad look. None of this makes any sense.”
All in all, many will still tune in to the card despite its shortcomings. Since the UFC is unquestionably the biggest MMA promotion in the world, there’s no threat or rival to their throne.
