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McGregor's heir & historic trilogy - inside UFC's $20m Sphere

A split image of Sean O Malley, the Sphere and Alexa GrassoGetty Images

The show will be the first sporting event to take place at the Sphere

Paul Battison
BBC Sport Journalist

Dana White was at a U2 concert in Las Vegas last year when the inspiration struck him.

It wasn't U2's show which influenced the UFC president, it was the grandeur of the venue in which they performed.

White was watching the Irish rock band in the brand new Sphere - the largest spherical building in the world with an exterior coated in so many LED screens, its glow can be seen from space.

More screens decorate the inside of the 17,385-seat venue, helping to deliver an immersive experience for fans which left White dreaming of hosting a UFC show in the same vein.

Almost a year later, White's vision has come to fruition with the promotion set to host the "greatest live combat sports show anybody has ever seen", when Riyadh Season Noche UFC takes place on Saturday.

The show, described as a "love letter to Mexico" by White to celebrate Mexican Independence Day, sees American bantamweight champion Sean O'Malley defend his title against Georgia's Merab Dvalishvili in the main event.

The co-main event features Mexico's Alexa Grasso, who defends her flyweight belt against Kyrgyzstan's Valentina Shevchenko in the first women's trilogy fight in UFC history.

Two mouth-watering contests, but will the fights be the main attraction of the evening?

'The Sphere is the star of the show'

The UFC has spent $20m (£15.3m) to host the event, with White describing it as a "one and done, once in a lifetime experience".

Inside the Sphere are a further 160,000 square feet of LED screens which will show a movie during the event, split into chapters, that "pays tribute to Mexican people for their extraordinary contributions to combat sports".

"We call them worlds and each fight will live inside this world," said White.

"And the world will evolve as the fight is going on but it will be very subtle. Clouds will move, fires will burn, birds will fly, whatever."

"If you're Mexican this will be like a Rocky movie for you guys."

White says the UFC faced a number of logistical issues in preparing for the event, but the biggest challenge was usurping the Sphere.

"When I was at the Sphere watching the U2 show, you realise the Sphere is the star of the show," added White.

"So our biggest challenge, other than lighting, was 'how do you make the Sphere the star of the show, but not during the fights'">