Anyone hoping to watch Sean O’Malley defend his UFC bantamweight title at the MSG Sphere in Las Vegas on September 14 can expect to pay a few thousand dollars minimum – and potentially much more.
O’Malley is scheduled to face Georgia’s Merab Dvalishvili in the Sphere at UFC 306, where the lowest tickets are selling for $1,466 apiece, according to GameTime.co.
Meanwhile, top-end tickets are going for as much as $43,842 for a ringside seat.
For comparison, Super Bowl seats on the secondary market went for as little as $7,000, while a last-minute ticket went for as much as $37,000, according to various reports. The average ticket price for Super Bowl LVIII was 9,300, according to StubHub.com.
White recently said he expects the UFC to make ‘anywhere from $25 [million] to $27 million,’ White told reporter Kevin Iole.
The Sphere displays graphics with Super Bowl LVIII signage ahead of the big game
Sean O’Malley fights Marlon Vera of Ecuador during their bantamweight bout at UFC 299
Merab Dvalishvili of Georgia reacts after his victory against Henry Cejudo at UFC 298
The UFC record for ticket sales in one event is UFC 205 with $17.7 million, according to Forbes. That night, Conor McGregor defeated Eddie Alvarez by TKO at the real Madison Square Garden in New York.
The Sphere holds nearly 20,000 spectators, which is more or less the same as any other major arena. The venue received solid reviews after holding the NHL Draft in Las Vegas earlier this year, and many Super Bowl attendees in Las Vegas were naturally curious about the $2.3 billion glowing orb dominating the city skyline.
‘Oh my gosh. It’s almost like 3D,’ California resident Jill Hitchcock told Reuters while taking in the Sphere at night.
‘(Chiefs quarterback) Patrick Mahomes throwing the football and then it’s like coming right at you. It’s amazing. You used to have to wear the (3D) glasses. I think it’s the shape of the dome. It gives you that 3D appearance. So it’s really cool.’
The O’Malley- Dvalishvili card is a first for the UFC at the Sphere.
‘This will be one of the biggest sporting events of all time,’ UFC President and CEO Dana White said in a press release. ‘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.’
Knicks, Rangers and MSG owner James Dolan hailed the fight card as a ‘milestone’ for the Sphere.
‘The first sporting event at Sphere is a significant milestone not only for the venue, but also for live sports overall,’ he said in the press release.
O’Malley (18-1) is coming off a unanimous decision over Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera in UFC 299. Dvalishvili (17-4) is riding a 10-match winning streak after beating Henry Cejudo by a unanimous decision in February.
