UFC 306 will now be known by another name as the promotion has granted title partner status for the first time.
UFC 306 will now go by another name after the promotion partnered with Riyadh Season for the event at Sphere in Las Vegas.
The event celebrating Mexican Independence Day takes place Sept. 14 and will now be the first time the UFC has allowed a sponsor to have title partner status, officially rebranding UFC 306 as “Riyadh Season Noche UFC.” The promotion announced the change in a press release Wednesday.
UFC will be the first to produce a live sporting event from Sphere, which opened last September. According to UFC CEO Dana White, the event will be the only time the promotion holds an event at the venue.
“This will be one of the biggest sporting events of all time,” White said in a statement. “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. We’re thrilled that Turki Alalshikh and the Saudi General Entertainment Authority have stepped up to partner with us to make this the greatest event in the history of combat sports. Their participation shows just how massive the interest is from all over the world. Riyadh Season Noche UFC will be unforgettable.”
Saudi Arabia’s chairman of the general entertainment authority for entertainment, Turki Alalshikh, said in a statement: “This will be a milestone moment as it will be the first sporting event to take place at Sphere in Las Vegas. The UFC brand is recognized globally with its huge fanbase, and this aligns with our own vision for Riyadh Season to collaborate to create and stage world-class events.”
At the time of the release, no fights have been officially announced, although Alexa Grasso vs. Valentina Shevchenko 3 has long been discussed to take place at the event.
Strawweight prospect Yazmin Jauregui wants a fight at the UFC 306 event celebrating Mexican Independence.
[autotag]Yazmin Jauregui[/autotag] didn’t get to compete on last year’s inaugural UFC event celebrating Mexican Independence Day, and she doesn’t want to miss out on that chance again.
This year, the UFC will celebrate the Mexican holiday by hosting UFC 306 at the Sphere in Las Vegas on Sept. 14. UFC CEO Dana White has hyped up the event, saying it’s going to be the greatest spectacle in combat sports and that it will never be replicated.
Jauregui (11-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC), a native of Tijuana, hopes to get an offer for the event.
“I’m eager to come back, and I’ve actually been training hard for about two months now,” Jauregui told MMA Junkie in Spanish. “I fought, and thank God I had no injuries, and I started training a week after the fight and easing my way back to things. I also went to San Diego to train, and now I’m just waiting for a contract.
“I’ve been told that we’re considered for September, and it’s a great card, but nothing is confirmed yet. I’m hoping it goes through, and I’m trying to attract it, almost like telepathy. I want to fight and against someone who’s in the top 20 rankings. I think about 20 or 21, and I want to start going up in level.”
Jauregui is coming off a dominant unanimous decision win over Sam Hughes in February. She’s hoping to get a notable opponent for her next outing, but has no one in mind, given the state of the division.
“We’ve looked at the rankings and how things have panned out lately,” Jauregui said. “I saw the fight with Tabatha Ricci, Tecia Torres and also Michelle Waterson and Loopy Godinez, who have upcoming fights. So the ranking is always changing.
“At the time, I don’t see anyone specifically because things have changed a lot in the division. Either way, I don’t think I’m in a position to start picking my fights, for now. I’m going to fight whoever they put me and prepare the best I can, and go do my job. Whatever they give me, I’ll be ready.”
Regardless, the name doesn’t seem to hold priority for her next booking. She mainly wants to get a spot on the UFC 306 card so she can represent Mexico.
“It’s a very meaningful date, and it represents so much in Mexico,” Jauregui explained. “For me, it would be incredible. The Mexican is very hardworking and even from an audience standpoint it’s going to be great. … The event is expected to be stacked, and I’m sure the Mexican public will go nuts, especially around this date. I want to feel the support of my people, so I can perform at my best.”
The former bantamweight champion was linked to a fight with Jose Aldo May at UFC 301 in Rio de Janeiro, but it fell through. Now, Cruz (24-4 MMA, 7-3 UFC) sets his sights on a rematch with Cejudo (16-4 MMA, 10-4 UFC) for Sept. 16 at Sphere in Las Vegas.
“There’s a Mexico Independence Day card coming up, and I lost a fight,” Cruz said on the Overdogs Podcast. “I look back at my loss and I lost it fair and square to Henry Cejudo, but I do believe he could get a better version of me and really face a better version of me.
“I’ve had rematches against (Joseph) Benavidez. I’ve had rematches against Urijah Faber. I’ve had rematches against that whole Team Alpha Male where I had to take each guy out, step by step, in order to keep my title. So, I would love a rematch with Henry Cejudo on Mexican Independence Day in the Sphere. I think we could make a pretty awesome fight there.”
Meanwhile, Cejudo retired after he finished Cruz to retain his 135-pound title at UFC 249. He returned three years later to challenge Aljamain Sterling for the bantamweight title at UFC 288 but was edged out in a split decision loss. He then lost a unanimous decision to No. 1 contender Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 298. “Triple C” recently called out Rob Font, but is yet to be booked for a fight.
Dana White plans on celebrating the UFC’s Mexican talent at The Sphere.
[autotag]Dana White[/autotag] plans on celebrating the UFC’s Mexican talent at The Sphere.
The highly anticipated UFC 306 event takes place Sept. 16 at The Sphere in Las Vegas.
The Ultimate Fighter Season 32 coaches, flyweight champion Alexa Grasso and challenger Valentina Shevchenko, had conflicting views when it came to The Sphere event, but the UFC CEO confirmed that it will indeed be Mexican themed.
“This is going to be a f*cking love letter to the Mexican people, right,” White said on the FLAGRANT podcast. “(I’m a) huge boxing fan, so I have this thing with Mexicans, man. When you tell somebody – I’ve got goosebumps telling you this right now – when you tell somebody, ‘You fight like a Mexican,’ it’s the biggest f*cking compliment you could ever f*cking give somebody, right?
“Some of the baddest motherf*ckers that have walked the face of this earth have been Mexican, and The Sphere show is on Mexican Independence Day. and it’s going to be the greatest f*cking love letter to the Mexican people of all time. I’m so f*cking excited for it.”
Manon Fiorot, Maycee Barber, Rose Namajunas, Erin Blanchfield? The options in the UFC women’s flyweight division are plenty.
When UFC women’s flyweight champion [autotag]Alexa Grasso[/autotag] and [autotag]Valentina Shevchenko[/autotag] complete a trilogy later this year, it should be the last time they meet. After that? Both fighters expect to welcome new challengers.
That, of course, will depend on the result of their Sept. 14 showdown at the Sphere in Las Vegas, which could headline UFC 306. The fight will take place on the heels of Grasso and Shevchenko coaching this season of “The Ultimate Fighter,” which filmed earlier this year and premiered this past Tuesday on ESPN and ESPN+.
In two previous encounters, Grasso (16-3-1 MMA, 8-3-1 UFC) scored an all-time upset when she claimed the title from Shevchenko (23-4-1 MMA, 12-3-1 UFC) with a fourth-round submission in March 2023 at UFC 285. Six months later, the two fought to a hotly debated split draw in their rematch at Noche UFC. Short of a clear winner in the trilogy, this should be it for Grasso and Shevchenko, who both look forward to new blood in the form of top contender [autotag]Manon Fiorot[/autotag] or the winner of next month’s [autotag]Maycee Barber[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Rose Namajunas[/autotag] main event at UFC Fight Night in Denver. Erin Blanchfield could also be in the mix despite losing to Fiorot in March, depending on timing and circumstances.
Fiorot, who is riding a 12-fight winning streak after back-to-back wins over Namajunas and Blanchfield, figures to be in pole position among those names.
“Right now, at this moment after (our) fight, Manon and Erin. I think Manon is on this list,” Shevchenko told MMA Junkie. “But anything can happen for this time. Still we have more time, like three months, a little bit more after we rest a little bit. Anything can happen, but at this moment, I would say fight Manon, and Erin brought Manon in this position.”
Fiorot (12-1 MMA, 7-0 UFC) is certainly a matchup that Grasso would relish given the pairing of styles.
“If I have to fight her, that will be awesome,” Grasso told MMA Junkie. “She’s big, she’s strong, she has a lot of good striking. So, for me, it could be a perfect fight.”
Not to be forgotten, though, is Barber (14-2 MMA, 9-2 UFC). The 26-year-old, who once promised to be the youngest UFC champion of all time, has come into her own, currently on a six-fight winning streak against increased competition. Should she get past Namajunas with an impressive performance, it could lead to a rematch with Grasso, who beat her by unanimous decision in February 2021.
That’s a result Barber hasn’t gotten over, and she’s let it be known – which is no big deal to the champ.
“That’s OK. We all have to make noise to be there,” Grasso said. “But yeah, if there’s a moment she’s the contender and I’m the champion, we’re gonna fight again.”
Alexa Grasso is confused by Valentina Shevchenko’s statement about UFC ditching the Mexican Independence Day theme for UFC 306.
UFC women’s flyweight champion [autotag]Alexa Grasso[/autotag] is confused by [autotag]Valentina Shevchenko[/autotag]’s statement about UFC ditching the Mexican Independence Day theme for UFC 306 at Sphere.
Ahead of “The Ultimate Fighter 32” season debut Tuesday on ESPN and ESPN+ (10 p.m. ET), Shevchenko told MMA Junkie it was her understanding the historic Sept. 14 card in Las Vegas would no longer be built around the Mexican holiday. It was a curious revelation given UFC CEO Dana White’s repeated statements around the event, in which many expect to see Grasso (16-3-1 MMA, 8-3-1 UFC) and Shevchenko (23-4-1 MMA, 12-3-1 UFC) fight their trilogy bout for the women’s flyweight title.
Grasso said she’s yet to receive a bout agreement for the Shevchenko trilogy at UFC 306 and claimed she’s heard nothing that leads her to believe something has changed with the promotion’s plans.
“As far as I know, it’s going to be Noche UFC again,” Grasso told MMA Junkie on Monday. “I’ve seen a few interviews from Dana White, and he is saying it’s a love letter for the Mexican Independence Day, for the Mexican fighters, and he had a really, really good experience last year with Noche UFC. It would break records on ESPN, UFC Fight Pass. As I know, it’s going to be 100 percent dedicated to Mexican Independence Day.”
After Grasso took the title from Shevchenko in a significant upset at UFC 285 in March 2023, the pair had their rematch at Noche UFC last September. The fight ended in a split draw, meaning Grasso retained the title. They went through the entire “TUF 32” filming as a build toward a trilogy bout, but Shevchenko had previously showed some reluctance to do the third fight in a situation where Grasso would enter as the cornerstone of another Mexican-themed event.
If, for some reason, Shevchenko declines to fight on that date, Grasso said she will move on to the next contender. She is beyond keen to fight at UFC 306 and would do so whether Shevchenko is her opponent or not.
“It doesn’t matter if it’s Valentina or (Manon) Fiorot – anyone,” Grasso said. “I’m just preparing a lot, every area. I’m training every single day. I’m in fight camp since I got 100 percent from my hand. I’m just ready. I just want to fight that day. I would truly, truly love to fight that date, and I’ll be ready stronger than ever for that date.”
Grasso said she hopes it is Shevchenko, because she wants to prove she is superior in their matchup once for all after criticism around the rematch result. If not for a rogue 10-8 scorecard from judge Mike Bell for Grasso in the fifth round, Shevchenko would’ve taken home the decision and the belt.
“I would love to fight with Valentina because it would be the first trilogy in women’s UFC history,” Grasso said. “We were both coaches, too, and we have a lot of history. She has done so much for the sport. Me too, as the first Mexican female champion. We are both doing a lot of big things, so I think that would be the ideal fight, the perfect fight. I had the submission. In the second one, sadly it was a draw. But the third one is going to be like, OK, now we are going to know who is the winner. So that’s why I would love to be a part of that. I would love to fight her, and I’m super ready. I swear.”
Before she returns to the octagon against whomever it may be, Grasso said she’s excited for the world to see her coach on “TUF 32.” She said she enjoyed the process of the reality series and is eager to showcase what kind of knowledge her staff shared with the group of UFC hopefuls on her team.
“It was 100 percent me – it was really cool,” Grasso said. “I just want (fans) to know ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ again because a lot of people are excited to watch it, especially here in Mexico. Almost more in Mexico because it’s the first time a Mexican team was able to do that, 100 percent a Mexican team. So it’s huge for me, for my uncle, for my coaches, and for all my team to be part of this because it was really, really cool. We had guys from all over the world.”
Valentina Shevchenko says UFC 306 at Sphere won’t be a Mexican Independence Day celebration as the promotion has previously claimed.
It’s [autotag]Valentina Shevchenko[/autotag]’s understanding that UFC 306 at Sphere will not be the same type of Mexican Independence Day celebration that was built around her second fight with Alexa Grasso.
Shevchenko (23-4-1 MMA, 12-3-1 UFC) is set to serve as a coach opposite UFC women’s flyweight champion Grasso (16-3-1 MMA, 8-3-1 UFC) on Season 32 of “The Ultimate Fighter” reality series, which debuts Tuesday on ESPN and will serve as a lead-in for the trilogy bout between the pair.
After seeing her long title reign come to an end with a stunning upset loss to Grasso at UFC 285 in March 2023, they ran it back at Noche UFC in September 2023. The rematch ended in a split draw, with Grasso keeping the belt after judge Mike Bell awarded a heavily-criticized 10-8 round in the fifth frame that cost Shevchenko the decision.
Now expectations are the third bout will take place at UFC 306, which goes down Sept. 14 at Sphere in Las Vegas and has been touted as another Mexican Independence Day celebration. According to Shevchenko, though, the theme of the event will not not match what was seen this past year.
“It’s my understanding that there is talk about Sphere, but it is not Mexican Independence Day,” Shevchenko told MMA Junkie on Monday. “It’s going to be focused on the Sphere. It’s going to be focusing on UFC 306. Mexican Independence Day is a few days before the event is happening, so it’s nothing related to Mexican Independence Day. It’s going to be a complete different event, completely different location and complete different day. Close, but different.”
Even if it was a Mexican Independence Day theme, Shevchenko said she wouldn’t allow the trauma of her previous experience to decline the date or fight.
“These superstitions, they are not good for the fighter,” Shevchenko said. “Fighter has to be ready no matter what. If fighter is going to put these things in their head, it’s going to slowly destroy them. It’s all about how strong your mentality is, how much you can get rid of that. If you can get rid of that, you’re going to be successful no matter what, no matter how. I fought so many times in the territory of my opponents, so it’s shows me there’s nothing I cannot do. Everything is in my hands and I just have to prepare good and do whatever I have to do for the victory.”
Shevchenko and Grasso both sustained hand injuries in the second fight that required surgery. It will be a year or more by the time they get in the octagon again, and during that time they were offered the opportunity to coach the “TUF 32” reality series.
Sometimes there will be significant conflict between coaches while filing the show, but Shevchenko said that wasn’t the case with her and Grasso, despite their history of two previous fights.
“My personality – I’m not an aggressive person,” Shevchenko said. “I’m in martial arts for a long time. Martial arts teach me so many things, and I don’t have anything against Alexa. She’s doing what she’s doing and definitely the result, the first fight we had – whatever. The result was the result. The second fight was a draw, but in my opinion I know she was gifted the decision. I don’t know what reason this judge did whatever, but I don’t have anything against her. She’s doing the same. She has the passion for martial arts and we worked alone together very good. We were sharing the same things in common with our view for martial arts. I think our relationship now is kind of good.”
Shevchenko said she hasn’t been officially offered a date or location for the Grasso trilogy fight, and that she is “waiting for the final word from the UFC, what they are thinking and what they are wanting to do with the fight.” Ultimately, though, she knows the trilogy is happening, and it will be her next fight.
After feeling like she got a raw deal in the rematch, Shevchenko said it’s a prominent goal for the next fight to leave the judges out of it, and begin a second reign as 125-pound champion in a definitive manner.
“The last fight showed that I was stronger, I was faster and she had just a few moments that were in her favor,” Shevchenko said. “I’m just focusing on my performance and be more faster, be stronger and definitely it’s a thing I don’t want to leave the decision for the judges. I have all the reason why to not let it leave for the judges. It’s a personal thing to not let it happen. Definitely I will focus more on the finish. For me, it’s no matter what kind of finish, striking or submission. It has to be done. I’m focusing more on those things.”
UFC CEO Dana White explains why the upcoming Sphere event will be a one and done event and teases more about the promotion’s plans.
The UFC continues to plan its much anticipated (and much hyped) debut at Sphere as if it won’t happen again. That’s because according to Dana White, it won’t.
UFC 306 is set to take place Sept. 14 at Sphere in Las Vegas and will be the promotion’s second-annual Noche UFC event to honor Mexican Independence Day. But beyond that, the prospect of a second event there is unlikely – because there will be no matching the first.
“I’m telling you guys right now, we literally just went through the storyboards two days ago on this thing,” White told reporters at a UFC on ESPN 56 post-event news conference Saturday in St. Louis. “This is going to be the sickest live event in combat sports that anybody has ever seen.”
“It will never be done again. This will be a one and done, just because I wanted to do it. Everybody, when I said I wanted to do this, said, ‘How? How are you going to do a fight in there? It’s too hard. It’s too this. It’s too that.’ That’s the kind of stuff I love. We’ve already spent a sh*tload of money on this thing. Nobody will ever be able to pull this off again because nobody would spend the money to do it. Nobody is going to spend the money to do what I’m doing over there right now.”
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Since his declaration the UFC would head there, White promised the event will be “the greatest live combat sports show anybody has ever seen” and also acknowledged the preparation is a “massive challenge.”
Sphere has hosted live shows including U2 and Phish, but has yet to host a combat sports event. As of now, the UFC will be the first.
“This is going to be a f*cking masterpiece, man,” White said. “I’m telling you right now and this is a fact, this will never be done again. You know what’s going to happen when I do this event at the Sphere? Every other event that’s going to go in there is going to go, ‘Motherf*cker. What do we do now? How do we even come close to competing with this?’ We are going to f*cking blow the doors off anything that ever goes into that arena again. I f*cking guarantee it.”
Sphere opened in September 2023 after five years of construction that cost $2.3 billion. It has a capacity of 18,600, or around 20,000 if floor seats are counted. The interior contains the world’s largest LED screen at 160,000 square feet.
Undefeated Suarez is 2-0 since returning from an almost four-year long layoff due to injury, scoring submissions of Montana De La Rosa at flyweight, then a submission of former strawweight champion Jessica Andrade. Based on the landscape at 115 pounds, Suarez sees herself as the rightful title contender.
“They need someone to to fight for that title, and why not somebody who’s undefeated, has an amazing story, strong grappler, and something that she really hasn’t faced yet?” Suarez told ESPN. “(She needs to fight) a tall, long, rangy person that actually has very good jiu-jitsu and wrestling – something that she’s really developed, and now she’s beating everybody with her wrestling.
“So why not put her against somebody that could do just that? Not only that, but I’m undefeated in the division. You don’t have anybody in the division that’s undefeated at the top, so I think that it just makes a fun, fun matchup, and I hope that it happens.”
Weili has relied on her grappling in some of her recent wins, but Suarez is confident that she finishes the champion if the fight hits the ground.
“I think I get a submission, 100 percent,” Suarez said. “I think I will sub her – either a submission or a TKO.”
Suarez is willing to face Weili in China, or preferably at the highly anticipated UFC 306 event Sept. 16 at The Sphere in Las Vegas.
“I heard they’re going be in China in August, but that’s not a pay-per-view card,” Suarez said. “So I don’t know if maybe in September at the Sphere – that’d be amazing, especially because I am Mexican, and that’d be a good fight to have.
“Knowing Weili, she might spit out some things in Spanish and just make it even better. Everybody’s going to love her and everybody’s going to like me, and so then it’ll be a great fight to have on the card.”
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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 306.
Manon Fiorot is eager to ensure her next fight is for the UFC women’s flyweight title, even if that means taking it in unideal circumstance.
[autotag]Manon Fiorot[/autotag] is eager to ensure her next fight is for the UFC women’s flyweight title, even if that means taking it in unideal circumstance.
With seven consecutive victories to begin her octagon tenure, Fiorot (12-1 MMA, 7-0 UFC) would typically have a title shot locked up by now. However, the string of three consecutive title fights between [autotag]Alexa Grasso[/autotag] and [autotag]Valentina Shevchenko[/autotag] have pushed everyone out of the immediate title conversation.
Grasso (16-3-1 MMA, 8-3-1 UFC) and Shevchenko (23-4-1 MMA, 12-3-1 UFC) are currently searching as coaches on Season 32 of “The Ultimate Fighter” reality series and are expected to wrap up their trilogy at UFC 306, which takes place Sept. 16 at The Sphere in Las Vegas.
Following Fiorot’s unanimous decision victory over Erin Blanchfield in a February main event, she wants the winner of Grasso and Shevchenko. But if something happens to either one of them, whether it’s weeks out or days out, Fiorot wants to volunteer he services as a backup.
“If I have to choose, the best choice for me is to be the backup on the fight,” told MMA Junkie through an interpreter. “I think it’s a good thing if someone, Valentina or Alexa, have an injury or miss weight. I think the best choice for me now is to be backup for this fight so I can see the fight and perhaps do a faceoff after against the winner. … I think I deserve it.”
In addition to her victory over Blanchfield, the UFC resume of Fiorot also includes former champ Rose Namajunas and one-time title challengers Katlyn Cerminara, Jennifer Maia and Mayra Bueno Silva.
Fiorot, 34, said there’s only one other situation where she would entertain taking a fight against someone outside of the Grasso vs. Shevchenko winner, and that’s if the promotion implemented an interim belt.
“I’m the No. 1 contender for three fights in a row,” Fiorot said. “I’m pretty sure I deserve it and I’ll fight for it in my next fight.”
