LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — As fight fans converge on the Las Vegas Strip, Dana White looked forward to a spectacular UFC event at Sphere, NBA in the Las Vegas valley, and addressed Conor McGregor’s future in the UFC.
UFC International Fight Week has taken over Las Vegas with fan experiences, and Hall of Fame inductions planned. It will all be capped off by UFC 303 at T-Mobile Arena, featuring the second fight between UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Alex Pereira and the challenger and former UFC Middleweight Champion Jiří Procházka.
The light heavyweight bout was not the originally scheduled main event. On June 13, an injury forced MMA superstar Conor McGregor out of a planned fight against Michael Chandler. Dana White, the UFC’s CEO and president, said the organization is not rescheduling that matchup.
“If [McGregor] comes back and says, ‘I’m ready,’ and we feel that it’s time to go again, then we’ll do it,” White said. “I’m not even thinking about rescheduling or him fighting.”
While White may not be anticipating a Conor McGregor return, he is eagerly looking forward to more headlining-making fights in the entertainment capital of the world. This includes a groundbreaking September card at the newest landmark on the Las Vegas Strip, Sphere, which he promised to be “jaw-dropping.”
“[UFC 306] isn’t going to be the greatest event that we’ve ever done,” White said. “This is going to be the greatest sporting event ever done. Ever.”
White called the Sphere event one of the most unique shows ever. UFC 306 will celebrate Mexican Independence Day on Sept. 16, headlined by A UFC Women’s Flyweight Championship match between champion Alexa Grasso and Valentina Shevchenko. He said the event would be a love letter to the culture of the Mexican people and their love of combat sports.
“To say that I’m excited about this is the understatement of all time,” White said.
Sphere isn’t the only Las Vegas venue White is excited about. Regarding a potential NBA expansion team in Las Vegas, White said that an NBA franchise coming to the entertainment capital of the world would be “massive.”
“All they need is an arena, and it will destroy here in Las Vegas,” White said. He suggested that a larger arena would perfectly fit the theoretical Las Vegas NBA expansion team. “If they can build an arena bigger than T-Mobile, they will absolutely kill it here in Las Vegas.”
In addition to numerous UFC events, the mixed martial arts league’s sister company, World Wrestling Entertainment, is bringing its star-studded “granddaddy of them all,” WrestleMania 41, to Las Vegas in 2025. It’s one of many highly anticipated Las Vegas events. Indeed, White made it clear that he sees Las Vegas as a prime destination for major events.
“There is no bigger or better destination in the world than Las Vegas,” White said. “Everything about events is about destination, and Vegas is the perfect destination.”
