The Sphere is the hottest new property in Las Vegas — but its potential to impact professional sports has been relatively unknown thus far. That’s about to change.

UFC president Dana White said that the MMA outfit has booked the Sphere to host a fight in September 2024, marking the first live sporting event to be scheduled for the venue.

The NHL is reportedly exploring hosting a draft at the venue, but no formal plans have been announced.

“We are already working on the creative for the show,” White said on Saturday after UFC 295 in New York at Madison Square Garden. The Sphere cost $2.3 billion to build but it lost nearly $100 million in its first quarter of operation.

“Everybody keeps saying to me, ‘I don’t understand how you’re going to put the Octagon in there,’” White noted, before reiterating his plan to use the Sphere to put on the greatest live combat sporting event ever.

The Sphere can host nearly 20,000 fans. So far, it has hosted a run of sold-out U2 concerts and offers tours and fan experiences most days. White did not give any indication as to who would fight at the Sphere.

Texas A&M’s firing of head coach Jimbo Fisher sets a new precedent for multi-million dollar buyouts in college football.

Just two years after giving Fisher a 10-year, $95 million contract extension, the Aggies are parting ways with the coach in a move that could cost up to $150 million. Fisher’s buyout alone will cost about $75 million and it requires that 25% of the buyout is to be paid immediately and contains no offset language — meaning Fisher will receive the money even if he ends up signing with another school, per Darren Rovell.

The university is also on the hook for the lucrative contracts held by many assistant coaches that will add tens of millions of dollars to the bill.

Fisher’s buyout was the second-largest in college football, behind only the $92 million it would cost the two-time defending national champion Georgia Bulldogs to part ways with head coach Kirby Smart. Fisher coached Texas A&M to a 51-10 victory over Mississippi State on Saturday, but his 6-9 conference record since the beginning of the 2022 season proved too much for Aggie stakeholders to ignore.

It will take eight years for Fisher to collect his full buyout. Here’s the breakdown:

• Within 60 Days: $19.4 million
• Within 120 Days: $7.27 million
• 2025: $7.27 million
• 2026: $7.27 million
• 2027: $7.27 million
• 2028: $7.27 million
• 2029: $7.27 million
• 2030: $7.27 million
• 2031: $7.27 million

Michigan State parted ways earlier this season with head coach Mel Tucker, who had an $80 million buyout clause. The school is confident that they won’t have to honor his buyout due to the sexual harassment allegations that led to Tucker’s dismissal.

Previously, the most expensive buyout in college football history was Gus Malzahn, who received $21.5 million from Auburn after being fired in 2020.

Michigan’s football team remains unbeaten after going on the road and knocking off Penn State on Saturday — and they did it without head coach Jim Harbaugh, who was suspended hours before kickoff for the remainder of the regular season.

The Big Ten suspended Harbaugh for his alleged role in a sign-stealing controversy swirling around Michigan. On Friday night, Michigan filed a temporary restraining order to block the Big Ten’s suspension of Harbaugh. However, a judge in Michigan declined to issue an emergency decision before Saturday’s kickoff. 

A hearing has been set for this Friday, when a judge will explore the school’s efforts to reinstate Harbaugh.

In a statement on Friday, the University of Michigan had this to say:

“We look forward to presenting our case next week where we intend to demonstrate that the Big Ten has not acted legally or fairly.”

The Game Looms

Next up for Michigan is a game at Maryland this coming Saturday, where the Wolverines are heavy favorites — with or without Harbaugh. But looming largest is the year’s final regular-season game at home against the rival Buckeyes (10-0).

Getting Harbaugh back on the sideline before that matchup — a game that will likely feature two undefeated teams and have a major impact on the final College Football Playoff rankings — would provide a substantial boost for the Wolverines.

Gotham FC defeated the OL Reign 2-1 on Saturday to win the club’s first-ever NWSL championship, completing an incredible run for the franchise.

In 2022, Gotham was the worst team in the NWSL, finishing last out of the league’s 12 teams while losing 17 of its 22 matches. This season, the club representing New Jersey and New York squeaked into the postseason, earning the sixth and final playoff berth. Gotham then won its next three matches to be crowned 2023 champions.

More than 25,000 fans, an NWSL championship record, filled Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego on Saturday night, capping a banner year for the league. During the regular season, more than 1 million fans attended games — the most ever for the NWSL.

When the NWSL retakes the field next spring, it will welcome the league’s 13th and 14th clubs as franchises launch in Utah and the Bay Area. The league is also exploring the possibility of adding two more teams by 2026.

The 2024 season will also mark the start of a historic new set of media rights deals. Amazon, CBS, ESPN, and Scripps Sports will pay a combined $240 million over four years to broadcast NWSL games, an increase of more than 40 times over the previous deals.