Riyadh: Las Vegas is preparing to host the much-anticipated Riyadh Season Noche UFC event at the iconic Sphere on Saturday, marking the first time a sports championship will take place at this unique venue as part of the UFC series. The event also highlights Riyadh Season’s debut as a sponsor in the U.S., following the success of its previous UFC collaboration in Los Angeles.
In a groundbreaking move, Riyadh Season has secured the prestigious naming rights for the event, renaming UFC 306 to Riyadh Season Noche UFC. This is the first time UFC has partnered with a sponsor in such a way, further solidifying the global influence of Saudi Arabia’s growing sports and entertainment sector.
Headline matchups and key bouts
The main event of the evening will be a bantamweight title clash, with reigning champion Sean O’Malley from the U.S. defending his title against Georgia’s Merab Dvalishvili.
Another highly anticipated bout on the card is the women’s flyweight title fight between Mexico’s Alexa Grasso and Kyrgyzstan’s Valentina Shevchenko, promising an electrifying contest.
The card also features a featherweight bout between American fighter Brian Ortega and Brazil’s Diego Lopes, while Mexico’s Raul Rosas Jr. will take on China’s Aoriqileng in the bantamweight division. In another women’s bantamweight bout, Irene Aldama from Mexico will face off against Brazil’s Norma Dumont.
Additional bouts include a lightweight contest between Mexico’s Manuel Torres and Chile’s Ignacio Bahamondes, and a flyweight showdown between Edgar Chairez from Mexico and Joshua Van from the U.S. Flyweights Ronaldo Rodriguez from Mexico and Ode Osbourne from Jamaica will also step into the octagon.
The event will round out with a women’s strawweight bout between Yazmin Jauregui from Mexico and Brazil’s Ketlen Souza, concluding with a lightweight fight between Mexico’s Daniel Zellhuber and Argentina’s Esteban Ribovics.
Riyadh Season’s growing UFC partnership
This event follows Riyadh Season’s successful hosting of UFC Fight Night on June 22, 2024, where Australia’s Robert Whittaker triumphed over Russia’s Ikram Aliskerov with a knockout in the main middleweight bout at Kingdom Arena.
With its continued collaboration with UFC, Riyadh Season is solidifying its place as a key player in the global sports and entertainment industry.