In 2024, UFC proudly produced the first live sports event at Sphere in Las Vegas, the revolutionary entertainment venue, as an unprecedented integration with its live mixed martial arts event, UFC 306. The primary goal of the event, held over Mexican Independence Day weekend in September and thematically titled NOCHE UFC, was to serve as a passionate tribute to the Mexican people and their culture and honor their fighting spirit and contributions to combat sports. A secondary goal was to create an unprecedented integration of customized content with a sporting event, providing a first-of-its kind experience, and blazing a path to the future of sports and entertainment, particularly as new stadiums and arenas are being constructed with cutting-edge audio, video and 4D technology.
To bring the event to life, UFC assembled a dream team of content creators, including filmmaker Carlos López Estrada and producer Valerie Bush, to create a stunning narrative honoring Mexican culture. The effort resulted in the event’s primary storytelling vehicle, the original film For Mexico, For All Time, which was seamlessly integrated into the UFC live fight experience through extensive use of Sphere’s 160,000 sq. ft., 16K x 16K resolution interior display plane that wraps up, over, and around the audience, creating a fully immersive visual environment.
For Mexico, For All Time was told in six 90-second chapters that focused on different periods in Mexican history and their influence on the nation’s identity. After each chapter, Sphere’s immense curved interior LED screen transitioned into “digital worlds" that served as backdrops for each bout so that the UFC fights fit within the overall narrative. The digital worlds brought the audience on a journey into ancient Mexico, through the evolution of unarmed combat, and alongside freedom fighters.
Every aspect of For Mexico, For All Time was created for Sphere’s state-of-the-art technology. The music for each chapter was pumped through the world’s highest concert-grade audio system, Sphere Immersive Sound powered by HOLOPLOT. This next-gen tech features 167,000 loudspeakers that delivered 3D beam-forming sounds which can be focused on specific areas of the sold-out venue and were enhanced by 10,000 haptic seats that provided force feedback based on music cues. UFC capitalized on this technology and implemented force feedback to accompany key moments of each film for fans in attendance. And the Exosphere showed highlights of the fights for passers-by in Las Vegas, and on the inside, the LED Media Plane presented real-time data and fighter information through in-house stats and information feeds.
In addition to creating a once-in-a-lifetime experience for the 16,000 fans in attendance at Sphere, UFC also sought to convey the grandeur of the film for all those watching from home. To do so, UFC turned to 14-time Emmy Award-winning producer Glenn Weiss, who directed the entertainment aspect of the show for ESPN viewers. For those watching abroad, each chapter of the original film For Mexico, For All Time was transmitted in four separate languages for UFC’s international broadcasts, including English, Spanish, French Canadian, and Portuguese. UFC provided a glimpse at the future of sports and entertainment and also proved that live sports in Sphere are not only viable, but also spectacular for attendees and viewers around the globe.
Beginning in January 2024, UFC launched a campaign across all its social media accounts, including UFC President & CEO Dana White’s official accounts, to support Noche UFC. Throughout 2024, UFC posted a total of 5,101 individual pieces of content specific to this event. In addition to traditional UFC event coverage, UFC went above and beyond to produce content in real time that captured the essence of the event for fans not in attendance. UFC incorporated elements of the theme and venue, including the digital worlds, snippets of the films, special effects, and elaborately costumed Octagon girls into their fight night coverage.
Noche UFC was one of the most successful events in company history and broke numerous records for both UFC and Sphere Entertainment, including:
The Noche UFC social media campaign played an integral role in creating excitement and awareness around the event, as well as engaging UFC fans. The campaign successfully captured the essence of Noche UFC by including content from all stages of the event and showcasing not only the typical live event content but also incorporating the various special effects and elements specific to Noche UFC.
In total, the social media campaign for Noche UFC yielded the following results:
On the night of the event, Noche UFC had 300% more mentions than Canelo vs. Berlanga, a professional boxing event that took place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on the same evening. Fans around the world were captivated by Noche UFC, as it was the number-one trending topic on social media on fight night in the United States, China, Australia, France, United Kingdom, Mexico, and others, as well as the leading search term on Google that evening.
