Let’s just say Brendan Schaub wasn’t a big fan of UFC 306.
The former UFC heavyweight contender turned podcaster and comedian heavily criticized the UFC’s decision to put on a pay-per-view event at the famous Sphere in Las Vegas. The card from this past Saturday was headlined by two championship fights in Merab Dvalishvili vs. Sean O’Malley and Valentina Shevchenko vs. Alexa Grasso 3.
There were several things Schaub didn’t like about the Sphere event, starting with the emphasis of promotion on the venue and not the fighters competing at the event.
“Clearly the belle of the ball was the arena,” Schaub said on his YouTube channel. “The Sphere was the focus and the belle of the ball. As a former fighter, for the current fighters, that’s not good. No other sports organization in the f*cking world is going to make the arena the focus. It should be on the talent. So that was already kind of triggering to me, but I didn’t say much. I was just like, ‘We’re going down a weird road.’”
Schaub didn’t attend UFC 306 and saw the event on pay-per-view like most fans. He thought the graphics and production looked cool, which the promotion spent over $20 million, but at the end of the day, he tunes in to watch good fights – something he doesn’t think the event delivered.
“What Dana White wanted to achieve, they crushed it,” Schaub said. “From the whole Sphere thing, first time ever pulling this off, they crushed it. The presentation was great. It’s not even all that. That’s not my issue. My issue is the product I paid to watch was not great because it wasn’t a pay-per-view worthy card. Because the belle of the ball is the Sphere, what you’re paying for, unless you’re in person, it ain’t that great. It just wasn’t. And the main and co-main event, boy, did the UFC gamble, and they lost.”
The best way Schaub could describe his experience watching UFC 306, was to eating at Rainforest Cafe – a rainforest-themed chain restaurant decorated with jungle flora and animatronic animals.
“You know what the Sphere is? It’s Rainforest Cafe,” Schaub said. “It looks f*cking great, but the product is sh*t. As a kid, I loved Rainforest Cafe. It looks f*cking sick. It’s got animals and sounds and mist, and you’re like, ‘I’m in a jungle.’ But then you get your f*cking macaroni, and it’s horrendous, and you’re waiting around forever.
“The UFC doing events at the Sphere is like, I hate to tell you guys, but spoiler: Rainforest Cafe is out of business. UFC doing events like this is no different than Rainforest Cafe. What it comes down to is you’re there for a good meal, not the atmosphere.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 306.
