For the first time in UFC history, the promotion has taken on an advertising partner to rebrand an event.
Originally, the promotion’s much-ballyhooed trip to The Sphere in Las Vegas was to have been UFC 306. However, in a recent press release, promotion officials announced that the event will now be known as Riyadh Season Noche UFC.
Noche UFC was launched in 2023 to mark Mexican Independence Day; last year’s show took place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. UFC 306 was set to mark the date this year, making the Noche UFC naming convention rather practical.
As for Riyadh Season, the festival has been put on annually since 2019 by Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority. The promotion debuted in the Kingdom just last weekend, and are expected to return for a show that Turki Alalshikh, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the General Entertainment Authority, has stated will be even bigger.
Robert Whittaker downed Ikram Aliskerov in the main event of the inaugural UFC Saudi Arabia on June 22.
As for this year’s Noche UFC, women’s flyweight champ Alexa Grasso is expected to take part, with TUF 32 rival Valentina Shevchenko the obvious opponent, barring injury or illness. The card is set for September 14, 2024.
“This will be one of the biggest sporting events of all time,” said UFC President and CEO Dana White, quoted in the press release announcing the news. “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.”
