Category: Worldwide

Clearly, George R.R. Martin has been going through some stuff.

I realize that this might seem like an understatement for those who have followed Martin’s literary tribulations over the years. Ideally, this should have culminated with him missing the date where he told readers to imprison him for not finishing Winds of Winter. Martin, however, still finds himself entirely torn between the art of putting words on paper and seeing those words realized on the TV screen. Distractions abound. It happens.

On the bright side, these diversions have led Martin to help bring AMC’s impeccable crime thriller, Dark Winds, to the world. On a darker note, Martin recently admitted (in an 1,800+ word rant) his severe disappointment in HBO’s House of the Dragon “Blood and Cheese” episode for omitting a character who Martin insisted is central to the emotional thrust of significant events to come. Martin then dropped some spoilers while concluding that showrunner Ryan Condal’s “outline for season 3” would spawn “toxic butterflies,” and something then prompted Martin to delete the rant (a post that was so jam packed that Daemon spending an entire season pouting through hallucinations somehow didn’t make his frustration short list).

Less than a week later, Martin is back with an additional lengthy post that can be summarized with his Live Journal-style “Current Mood: stressed”:

This follows Martin never mentioning the words “House of the Dragon” while admitting that certain unpleasant TV business was leaving him “between fury and despair” and unable to sleep:

Writing came hard, and though I did produce some new pages on both THE WINDS OF WINTER (yes) and BLOOD & FIRE (the sequel to FIRE & BLOOD, the second part of my Targaryen history), I would have liked to turn out a lot more. My various television projects ate up most of those months. Some of that was pleasant (DARK WINDS, and THE HEDGE KNIGHT), most of it was not. The stress kept mounting, the news went from bad to worse to worst, my mood seemed to swing between fury and despair, and at night I tossed and turned when I should have been sleeping. When I did sleep, well, my dreams were none too pleasant either.

Additionally, Martin describes how he was “so stressed out” about his mounting tasks that he nearly skipped this year’s Worldcon in Glasgow, but the event (although it gave him Covid) was “a blessing, balm for my bruised soul.” Yet his “stress came rushing back” upon returning, and although he did manage to write some Winds of Winter pages, “my problems… were still waiting for me.”

Martin does not allude to his deleted blog post, but he previously went in so hard with his “Butterfly Effect” argument that it seems obvious what he’s still discussing. Meanwhile, HBO has acknowledged GRRM’s HotD criticism with a statement via Deadline:

“There are few greater fans of George R.R. Martin and his book Fire & Blood than the creative team on House of the Dragon, both in production and at HBO. Commonly, when adapting a book for the screen, with its own format and limitations, the showrunner ultimately is required to make difficult choices about the characters and stories the audience will follow. We believe that Ryan Condal and his team have done an extraordinary job and the millions of fans the series has amassed over the first two seasons will continue to enjoy it.”

(Via George R.R. Martin’s Not-A-Blog)

The Linda Lindas have a new album, No Obligation, on the way, but despite the title, they do have a few things to do. For one, they’ve got to hype up the album, which they did today (September 10) by unveiling the project’s title track.

The band says of the song in a statement, “Eloise wrote this ripper because we won’t adhere to what anyone else thinks we should sound like or who they think we are. We don’t make music out of obligation — we make music out of love. And we’re so grateful for all of the opportunities music has given us, like going to Japan and making this video with a team including Naoko from Shonen Knife! Enjoy.”

A press release previously relayed that the band’s upcoming album “further advances their unironic, joyful, and exciting trajectory of mashing up LA punk with post punk, garage rock, power pop, new wave, and rock en español.” It also says the project was recorded “during spring breaks, winter breaks, and long weekends,” since three of the band members are either in middle or high school,” over the past two years.

Watch the “No Obligation” video above.

No Obligation is out 10/11 via Epitaph. Find more information here.

Sorry Rihanna… Jimmy Eat World is headlining the Super Bowl halftime show!

Could you imagine that? If, instead of the thrilling performance we got in 2023, we got an aging pop-punk band whose peak of popularity came a decade and half before? According to some music and sports fans on social media, that’s exactly what should have happened.

In case you’ve missed the kerfuffle over the upcoming Apple Music Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show in 2025, here’s a quick recap: Kendrick Lamar is headlining, but some folks are big mad it isn’t Lil Wayne, because the Super Bowl is being held in Wayne’s hometown, New Orleans.

That’s the general idea of the outcry of the past couple of days, but in fact, the discourse has gotten… shall we say, a little more salty than the subject warrants — and also, a bit unhinged. Cam’ron and Mase are sharing conspiracy theories on their show, Nicki Minaj is crashing out on Twitter, Boosie is involved… it’s kind of a lot.

Especially when you consider one simple fact that none of these people appear to be considering: The Super Bowl has only had a hometown act as the headliner a handful of times in the whole history of the Super Bowl Halftime Show. There is no tradition being stepped on here; hometown acts don’t headline the Super Bowl.

Hell, hometown teams rarely even play in the Super Bowl. The Super Bowl Halftime Show has never been the hometown celebration people are trying to make it out to be online. And if it was, there are artists from New Orleans that would be a far safer bet for the NFL.

Leaving aside Lil Wayne’s wild card status — he’s known for frequent show cancelations, sometimes right in the middle of a performance, while other times delivering some half-hearted renditions of fan faves and even admitting that he forgets his own lyrics — someone like Jon Batiste, a native of Metairie, Louisiana, would be a far more likely choice.

He’s got multigenerational appeal, his image and music are as non-threatening and party-ready as it gets, and he’s an Album Of The Year Grammy Award winner, who has composed for Disney, directed the music for late-night TV, and helps curate the National Jazz Museum in Harlem. He’s a showbiz superathlete.

Looking around the league, if hometown performers were actually a tradition, you’d have to go back and rewrite several of the most memorable performances of the last 30 years. Michael Jackson? Not from Los Angeles. Prince? Not from Miami. BEYONCÉ (you have to say it like Tiffany Pollard)??? Not from New Orleans (although her mama from Louisiana).

Even in the past half-decade, you’d have to replace Shakira and Jennifer Lopez with Gloria Estefan and the Miami Sound Machine (who previously performed in 1999, one of the only four hometown headliners at the Super Bowl), The Weeknd with Outlaws (basically the only non-metal band on the Tampa music acts Wiki page with any level of mainstream notoriety), Usher with Ne-Yo, and Rihanna with, yes, Jimmy Eat World. No offense to these alternatives, but you get the drift: The stage demands an equal level of popularity and a reliable selection of absolutely massive hits.

And look, we all loved seeing Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg rock out for their hometown crowd in LA in 2022, but keep in mind that these two are 30 years deep in careers that comprise at least three of the most pivotal records in hip-hop’s history, a branding empire encompassing everything from cooking shows with Martha Stewart to on-site Olympics coverage, and more identity changes than Spider-Man in the ’90s.

They also had to bring a slew of fellow stars, from 50 Cent and Eminem to Mary J. Blige and, yes, Kendrick Lamar to expand their show’s appeal past California hip-hop heads in their ’50s. Because, yes, there are stadiums with 50,000 people to entertain, but the Super Bowl is a national event, averaging well over 120 million viewers. Those 50,000 attendees — many of whom aren’t even from the host cities in the first place — are a drop in the bucket compared to all the viewers tuning in at home.

So, yes, the NFL has greater priorities than simply paying homage to host cities’ hometown heroes. The whole reason the halftime show exists in its current form is because someone figured out pop stars keep viewers from changing the channel better than marching bands. So while it’ll be nice if Lil Wayne or Juvenile or Trombone Shorty or Big Freedia pop out during Kendrick’s set, Kendrick is headlining for a whole lot of good reasons — none of which were ever hometown pride.

Sophie Allison is ending 2024 and starting 2025 in a major way: Her album Evergreen drops in October, and she announced today (September 10) that’s she’s going on a massive tour in 2025. Tickets for the tour, which runs from January to May, go on sale on September 13 at 10 a.m. local time. Find more information here.

Allison says of the new song, “‘Driver’ is a love song that’s really about someone being there for you in spite of your shortcomings. It’s more light hearted than some of the other songs I’ve put out this year, using my distractedness as a bit of a punchline.”

Listen to “Driver” above and find Soccer Mommy’s upcoming tour dates below.

Soccer Mommy’s 2025 Tour Dates

09/13/2024 — Nashville, TN @ Musician’s Corner
09/28/2024 — New York, NY @ All Things Go Festival
09/29/2024 — Washington, DC @ All Things Go Festival
10/12/2024 — Little Rock, AR @ Hillcrest Harvest Fest
01/22/2025 — Atlanta, GA @ Variety Playhouse *
01/23/2025 — Asheville, NC @ The Orange Peel *
01/24/2025 — Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle *
01/25/2025 — Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer *
01/27/2025 — Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club *
01/30/2025 — Brooklyn, NYC @ Brooklyn Steel *
02/02/2025 — Montreal, QC @ Théâtre Beanfield ^
02/04/2025 — Toronto, ON @ The Concert Hall ^
02/05/2025 — Detroit, MI @ The Majestic Theatre ^
02/06/2025 — Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall ^
02/08/2025 — Louisville, KY @ Headliners Music Hall ^
02/18/2025 — Birmingham, AL @ Saturn %
02/19/2025 — New Orleans, LA @ Tipitina’s %
02/20/2025 — Dallas, TX @ The Studio at The Factory %
02/21/2025 — Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall %
02/22/2025 — Austin, TX @ Radio/East %
02/24/2025 — Santa Fe, NM @ Meow Wolf %
02/25/2025 — Tucson, AZ @ Rialto Theatre %
02/27/2025 — Los Angeles, CA @ The Wiltern %
02/28/2025 — San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore %
03/03/2025 — Seattle, WA @ The Showbox %
03/04/2025 — Vancouver, BC @ Vogue Theatre %
03/05/2025 — Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom %
03/07/2025 — Boise, ID @ Treefort Music Hall %
03/08/2025 — Salt Lake City, UT @ The Depot %
03/10/2025 — Denver, CO @ Ogden Theatre %
03/12/2025 — Kansas City, MO @ The Truman %
03/13/2025 — Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue %
03/14/2025 — St. Louis, MO @ Delmar Hall %
03/15/2025 — Nashville, TN @ Brooklyn Bowl %
04/26/2025 — Lisbon, PT @ Lisboa ao Vivo
04/27/2025 — Madrid, ES @ Sala Copernico
04/28/2025 — Barcelona, ES @ Sala Apolo 2
04/30/2025 — Zurich, CH @ Papiersaal
05/01/2025 — Fribourg, CH @ Fri-Son
05/02/2025 — Milan, IT @ Legend
05/03/2025 — Munich, DE @ Ampere
05/04/2025 — Cologne, DE @ Artheater
05/06/2025 — Brighton, UK @ Chalk
05/07/2025 — Bristol, UK @ SWX
05/08/2025 — London, UK @ Hackney Church
05/09/2025 — Leeds, UK @ Project House
05/11/2025 — Dublin, IE @ Vicar Street
05/13/2025 — Glasgow, UK @ SWG3 TV Studio
05/14/2025 — Manchester, UK @ New Century Hall
05/16/2025 — Paris, FR @ Le Trabendo
05/17/2025 — Amsterdam, NL @ London Calling Festival
05/20/2025 — Hamburg, DE @ Nochtspeicher
05/21/2025 — Berlin, DE @ Lido
05/22/2025 — Warszawa, PL @ Klub Hybrydy

* with L’Rain
^ with Tomberlin
% with Hana Vu

Evergreen is out 10/25 via Loma Vista Recordings. Find more information here.

Jeff Teague’s Club 520 Podcast is easily the best NBA player podcast at giving us extremely funny stories. Teague’s willingness to talk about anything that happened in his career honestly has given us gems about shoving LeBron James into the crowd, getting barked at by Kevin Garnett, and the Pacers locker room laughing about Paul George’s Gatorade commercial after he missed a last second shot in the playoffs.

Most recently, Teague and the crew welcomed DeMarcus Cousins to the podcast and we learned that the legendary meme of Karl-Anthony Towns trying to post-up an unimpressed Boogie exists because of Teague. As Jeff explained, he was getting into it with Cousins and told KAT to “bust his ass”, which is why Boogie was being so over-the-top in that moment as KAT tried his best to bully through him.

As Teague’s co-hosts lose it learning he was behind that meme, Cousins notes, “it’s always Jeff, dawg!” The good news is, Towns even finds the meme “hilarious”, as he explained last year to Paul George on Podcast P, but knowing that the reason Boogie was being that defiant towards KAT posting up is Jeff Teague wouldn’t stop talking shit makes it even funnier.

When you go to a movie theater these days, you want to be totally immersed in the experience. You can’t just sit and watch a movie anymore, you need to surround yourself with tie-ins and novelty popcorn buckets and spend $9.99 on an Alien: Romulus gauntlet just to prove you know movies better than your friends. It’s just the way it works now, sorry! But even that isn’t enough anymore, now that the Sandworm Slayer has arrived.

The Sandworm Slayer (not a Dune reference, though it could be) is AMC’s latest creation in order to promote Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice. The vibrant 24-ounce cocktail is made with blue and black raspberry juice and “premium vodka,” topped with sour gummy worms. It is, essentially, a boozy Beetle Juice.

It’s almost as if AMC took two of Timothée Chalamet’s biggest attributes (worms and candy) and decided to go with it. Which could work…only it cost a whopping $31 according to some moviegoers.

The Hollywood Reporter did some digging and found that the drink is available for purchase for $21 at 92% of AMC locations, though local liquor laws vary depending on where you are.

If that’s too much money for some juice but you still want to support Tim Burton’s little projects, there’s another premium drink offering! Fanta has a new Beetlejuice-inspired flavor, Haunted Apple, along with some limited edition cans. A 12-pack is only $29.99! Apparently, inflation is big in the afterlife, too.

(Via The Hollywood Reporter)

Rachel Yoder’s Nightbitch took the book club circuit by storm in 2021 for understandable reason. The story’s feminist take on suburban, stay-at-home motherhood is a scathing and brutally funny one that was theoretically ripe for adaptation, even if filming practicalities might have sounded insurmountable. The idea of a Mother (Amy Adams) believing that she’s turning into a canine — and as the logline reveals, she “slowly embraces the feral power deeply rooted in motherhood” while running with the dogs and terrorizing cats — sounds too camp to pull off onscreen. And that tricky balance for this surreal dark comedy was confirmed in recent a trailer that didn’t exactly hit the mark:

To complicate matters, much of the discourse seems to be based upon the idea that Adams is chasing an Oscar win with this role after scoring six nominations over the years. The Sharp Objects actress, for her part, attended the TIFF premiere of the movie while telling Indiewire that she isn’t currently focused on whether she’s nominated for awards (“it’s not something I think about…”) but wouldn’t be mad if it helps the movie grow an audience (“I’m always happy if a film connects in a way that increases exposure for the film”).

The film, which stars Scoot McNairy (Halt and Catch Fire, Narcos: Mexico) and is directed and written by Marielle Heller (“A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood”), debuted at TIFF this week, and the below critic reactions urge people to lose the trailer because it’s reportedly not an accurate representation of the film. There’s even a comparison to The Substance:

Globe & Mail‘s Barry Hertz:

“NIGHTBITCH: Ignore the terrible trailer, this is a fantastic showcase for Amy Adams, who gets her … meatiest … role since THE MASTER… Shares much more in common with THE SUBSTANCE than I think anyone anticipated.”

Next Best Picture’s Matt Neglia:

NIGHTBITCH is so much better than the trailer would lead you to believe. Marielle Heller continues her streak of offering insight and nuance into the human condition, in this case, motherhood, in a way that feels deeply empathetic. Amy Adams walks a tightrope, fully selling the character’s internal struggle while exuding the warmth needed to be a good mom, all while nailing the comedic timing. Consistently funny and razor-sharp. If anything, I wish it went darker.

Critic Will Martinez:

Nightbitch is so much better than that trailer suggests. An insightful, amusing, and ultimately heartfelt look into motherhood. It is also a fabulous showcase for one of our greatest living actresses as Amy Adams totally crushes it. Another winner for Marielle Heller.

The Oscar Expert blog:

“Wipe the Nightbitch trailer from your brain. It’s a cathartic, insightful, and refreshingly philosophical take on how mothers cope…”

Nightbitch arrives in theaters on December 6.

Chappell Roan has been outspoken about the pressures of being famous. The “Pink Pony Club” singer called out certain fans for their “creepy,” “f*cking weird,” and at times “stalker vibes,” and she recently stated her desire to “draw lines and set boundaries.” A lot of fellow musicians — especially fellow female musicians — can relate.

According to Rolling Stone, Billie Eilish has been “keeping tabs” on Roan, while Paramore’s Hayley Williams direct messaged her, Muna hosted her for dinner, Lorde gave her a “helpful list of things to do at an airport to fly under the radar,” and Lady Gaga passed along her phone number. Two-thirds of Boygenius (Lucy Dacus and Julien Baker) got coffee with Roan and the other third (Phoebe Bridgers) came over to her place to hang and bond over how fan behavior has become increasingly “abusive and violent.”

But it’s Mitski — who unfortunately knows a thing or two about dealing with over-the-line fans — who was the most direct. In an email to Roan, she wrote, “I just wanted to humbly welcome you to the shittiest exclusive club in the world, the club where strangers think you belong to them and they find and harass your family members.”

Roan appreciates the advice she’s received. “I’m not trying to name-drop. I’m trying to tell you there are girls who are good people, who are helping other girls out,” she shared. “I’m name-dropping them because people just need to know that people are good people.”

Indie music has grown to include so much. It’s not just music that is released on independent labels, but speaks to an aesthetic that deviates from the norm and follows its own weirdo heart. It can come in the form of rock music, pop, or folk. In a sense, it says as much about the people that are drawn to it as it does about the people that make it.

Every week, Uproxx is rounding up the best new indie music from the past seven days. This week, we got new music from Peel Dream Magazine, MJ Lenderman, Toro Y Moi, and more.

While we’re at it, sign up for our newsletter to get the best new indie music delivered directly to your inbox, every Monday.

MJ Lenderman – Manning Fireworks

MJ Lenderman is one of the best songwriters of modern times. He manages to capture the quotidian absurdities of human existence in his musical character studies, infusing them with a canny balance of humor, wit, and empathy. Like he achieved on 2022’s breakthrough LP Boat Songs, he pulls off another slam dunk on Manning Fireworks, a record fraught with shameless candor and sizzling guitar licks. Call him indie rock’s Michael Jordan.

Toro Y Moi – Hole Erth

Chaz Bear is a musical chameleon, shapeshifting with each new release. Whether it’s the Alex G-indebted folk EP from last year, Sandhills, the psych-rock on 2022’s Mahal, or the groove-centric house beats on 2019’s Outer Peace, Toro Y Moi is in a state of constant reinvention. Hole Erth, the eighth studio album under the Toro Y Moi sobriquet, somehow fuses Bear’s past and present – chillwave, synth-pop, hip-hop – into a composite whole.

Midwife – No Depression In Heaven

No Depression In Heaven is a striking album title for Midwife, AKA Madeline Johnston, whose self-described “heaven metal” sounds uniquely despondent. Midwife’s skeletal melancholia, built on sparse guitar and gossamer vocals, is devastating, yes, but it’s also inviting. The lush ambiance beckons you like a lone, cozy cabin in a harsh snowstorm. By that metric, Midwife’s latest record is her most heavenly yet.

Peel Dream Magazine – Rose Main Reading Room

Joseph Stevens’ fourth album as Peel Dream Magazine is whimsical, wild, and wondrous. Rose Main Reading Room mines the orchestral pop stylings of early aughts indie rock while sounding purely endemic to Stevens’ universe. Woodwinds, strings, and horns abound, all performed with the playful imagination that could only occur on a Peel Dream Magazine record.

Jane Remover – “Magic I Want U”

Jane Remover has been on a run of excellent singles since her sophomore album, the post-rock opus Census Designated, dropped last year. She’s back with another new batch of them, one of which is “Magic I Want U.” It sounds like typical Jane Remover, which is invariably great, but it also sees her moving in multiple directions at once, merging ‘90s R&B with twinkly emo and her usual glitchy flair. It’s one of her best tracks to date.

Touché Amoré – “Hal Ashby”

Jeremy Bolm, the frontman of post-hardcore greats Touché Amoré, is something of a cinephile. In other words, he has a Letterboxd account. But you can glean Bolm’s interest in film from the fact that his band’s latest single is called “Hal Ashby,” named after the director of classic ‘70s movies like Being There and Harold And Maude. “A misguided Hal Ashby catastrophe / Not exactly something you plan to be / You gotta handle it gracefully,” Bolm sing-screams near the end, reflecting on the change he’s so desperate to accomplish. If his larynx-shredding vocals are any indication, then he’ll accomplish it by any means necessary.

Hinds – Viva Hinds

Hinds’ fourth album, Viva Hinds, is accurately named. After losing their rhythm section and reconfiguring themselves as a duo, Spanish indie rockers Carlotta Cosials and Ana Perrote rose to the occasion with what might be their strongest record to date. Although they seek some outside support, such as guest vocals from Beck on “Boom Boom Back” and Fontaines D.C. frontman Grian Chatten on “Stranger,” Viva Hinds is the product and celebration of an everlasting friendship between its two core creators. Viva Hinds!

Sleater-Kinney – “Here Today”

At the beginning of the year, indie rock duo Sleater-Kinney released their latest album, Little Rope. Recently, they announced a deluxe version of the record that’s slated to come out next month, and they’ve given us a teaser of those bonus tracks with “Here Today.” Like the album proper, “Here Today” is a remarkable display of the chemistry between Carrie Brownstein and Corin Tucker, filled with two-part vocal harmonies and fiery guitars.

Future Islands – “Glimpse”

People Who Aren’t There Anymore saw Future Islands return to the outsized synth-pop of their most influential records. After all, it only feels appropriate to do so during the same year Singles and that famous Letterman performance turn 10. Plus, they’re back with a new one-off single, “Glimpse,” another journey through driving bass guitar, melodic synths, and Samuel T. Herring’s powerful pipes.

The Jesus And Mary Chain – “Pop Seeds”

Very soon, the JAMC will embark on a co-headlining fall tour with fellow college rock staples the Psychedelic Furs. Fresh off their first album in seven years, Glasgow Eyes, brothers Jim and William Reid have shared a new single just before they hit the road. “Pop Seeds,” with its fluttering synths and warm acoustic guitars, is a loving reminiscence on youth and the wide-eyed anticipation that often accompanies it.

Ahead of the UFC’s debut at the Sphere, the organization’s CCO and Executive Producer Craig Borsari says he’s equal parts excited and incredibly stressed.

On September 14 — Mexican Independence Day — the UFC will broadcast UFC 306 from the Sphere in Las Vegas, an event that UFC President and CEO Dana White has talked about for months and promised will be the greatest sporting event of all time.

While that’s a high bar to clear, pushing boundaries is nothing new for the UFC, and they are consistently seeking out challenges. When the potential to run a show at the Sphere presented itself, it offered a new challenge and tons of opportunities for how to approach putting on an event visually.

“I tell (my team) to really push the envelope and look for things out there,” Borsari tells Uproxx Sports. “Don’t get complacent that this is the way we’ve always done it and this is the way we’re going to continue to do it. I think when you do that, things start to get stale.”

While the very formation of the UFC was a test in itself, Borsari points to the organization’s utilization of cameras, angles, graphics, exploring new technology, and new venues as ways they’re constantly looking to innovate. In order to fulfill their latest test, White set the tone for what the UFC wanted to accomplish and empowered Borsari to build a super team.

“I’m a big believer that if you don’t assemble a team that is world class, you’re just going to either fall short, you’re going to be disappointed, or both,” Borsari says. “So I really started off by thinking I’m going to play a bit of the role of a general manager of a sports team and I’m just going to go draft the best players I can on the planet.”

Borsari pulled together the best of the best across all walks of entertainment, with talented producers, segment directors, composers, and more to build an experience that is guaranteed to be unlike anything we’ve seen before. In total, the team of creatives has a collective experience of wins across the Emmys, Golden Globes, and the Grammy Awards. They’ve played a part in producing the Super Bowl halftime show, worked on Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour, took part in developing some of your favorite animated movies, and most recently they’re creating an immersive visual experience as the backdrop for a milestone UFC event.

“We just went to the absolute best of the best, just best in class in every area that we needed to assemble,” Borsari says. “Everybody that we wanted both was available and excited about the challenge. So we had immediately, not just skilled folks coming in, wildly talented with all the right experience, but the same mindset to dig into something that’s never been done before and work their butt off to get it done. And it’s been a tremendously rewarding experience thus far.”

Borsari and team have discussed and considered every intricate detail in the months leading up to this event. Back in May, they built the Octagon on the floor of the Sphere and walked the venue to figure out sight lines, making sure they had the cage at just the right angle without it being too close to the screen or too far from a prime lighting location.

The Octagon typically features a lighting grid 32 feet above the cage with audio, cameras, and microphones, offering another logistical challenge in the Sphere environment. In order to take advantage of the space, that structure won’t be featured, rather they’re building a system unique to the space to light the Octagon from behind the massive LED media plane. Lighting is just one of many considerations the team took into account in the months it’s required to create the ideal setup.

Likely the biggest takeaway from the experience of UFC 306, however, will be the thoughtfulness in storytelling.

“Typically for a normal pay per view event, we don’t tell any secondary story outside of giving you the story about the fighters and this matchup that you’re about to see,” Borsari says.

At UFC 306, the team will lean into the Mexican culture, the fighting spirit, and Mexico’s history as a backdrop to the fight card, with “movies” playing in between fights before the fighters take center stage.

“These short films, or what we’re calling these worlds or environments that the fights take place in, there’s tremendous amount of detail that goes into all of these, literally every frame of every asset we’re going to be displaying,” he says. “I wish we could do this 50 times so people could pick up all of the details. Unfortunately, it’s just once. That’s another thing I think that sets it apart as just an event that really has never been executed before.”

Whether the UFC actually runs the venue just once remains to be seen. Borsari won’t exactly slam the door on the notion that maybe it could be done again.

“Dana’s been saying it’s a one and done deal, which is probably good for my family life. But he’s also said, ‘Hey, let’s get through this one first and we can take a deep breath and reassess.’ I mean, the intention is that this is kind of a unique situation at the right time, the right place for us to pull this off. We are just wildly focused on September 14th right now. And then we’ll deal with the future later,” Borsari says.

Under the TKO umbrella, Borsari talks quite a bit with his WWE counterpart, the head of media and production, Lee Fitting as the two companies navigate the changing media landscape.

As WWE embarks on bringing WrestleMania 41 to Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas next April, Borsari says Fitting is “aware of what we’re tasked with over here” when asked if there have been any learnings the UFC can share from running the Sphere with WWE.

“As we get closer, there might be some things that we’re doing over here, we’ve done leading up to the Sphere that might be applicable for what they’re doing.” Borsari continues. “He’s got a massive event on his hands as well that he’s approaching and I know he’s way out in front of it and I’m sure it’s going to be incredible.”

For now, all eyes are on Saturday, where Borsari says he feels “incredibly fortunate” that White provided the space, overarching creative vision, and the resources to make UFC 306 one for the ages.

“I’ve been doing this for 25 years and I’m scratching my head to try to think of another opportunity that’s going to be remotely close to this going forward,” Borsari says. “I’m sure something will pop up. I don’t know when, but it’s going to take a long time to match it.”