The Vegas Sphere’s First Live Sporting Event Will Be an Expensive One

Dana White, chief executive officer and president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, went to see U2 last October at the Sphere in Las Vegas and fell in love. The glowing orb, which cost $2.3 billion to build and features inside a 160,000-square-foot curved LED screen, was “the star of the show,” White says. “I was focused on the screen and what was going on, and then every once in a while I would peek over and look down at U2.”

White was so impressed by the venue that he called Craig Borsari, the UFC’s executive vice president for operations and production. “I could hear the concert going on in the background,” Borsari says, “and he said, ‘You’ve got to get out here and see this. I want to do a show here.’”