Something strange happened within the run-up to Noche UFC, the second annual celebration of Mexican Independence Day. For the primary time since I got into MMA through the McGregor era and fell in love with the game through the pandemic, I skipped all my UFC fight week traditions. I didn’t watch a single episode , didn’t watch the press conference on Thursday or the ceremonial weigh-ins on Friday. And I actually didn’t have my usual “one more sleep” nerves heading into Saturday. It’s clear to me now that my lack of enthusiasm was a product of uncertainty, which breeds reserve, not curiosity.

Almost all the pieces on Saturday night’s card had me and other fans scratching our heads, starting with its amalgamation of a reputation: UFC 306: Riyadh Season Noche UFC. And then there was the promotion’s star. No, not the homegrown, hype-machine-produced Sean O’Malley, and even Mexico’s Alex Grasso, but quite The Sphere (or just “The Sphere,” as it was referred to throughout the printed). The Mexican-inspired Fight Night, which had by some means change into a numbered pay-per-view presented by a series of festivals in Saudi Arabia, boasting an arena as its important attraction, left me with questions that the sights and sounds of a typical fight week couldn’t answer. Instead, those questions were answered by the usual brilliance of probably the most production-oriented combat sports promotion this side of WWE.

When it was first reported, the most affordable seat in the home would cost over $2,000, I wondered if the more passionate Mexican and Mexican-American fight fans would not find the money for to accept the regular fighters with high salaries and company bank cards. Those fears were put to rest once I heard the group cheer for Raúl Rosas Jr. as he walked toward the octagon before the primary preliminary fight of the night. I did my best Irish accent and asked once I discovered that 4 fighters I’d never heard of were opening the important card. And lo and behold, these were the 2 most entertaining fights of the night, with Esteban Ribovics and Daniel Zellhuber receiving Fight of the Night bonuses that would have just as easily gone to Ronaldo Rodriguez and Ode’ Osbourne. And, like Sean O’Malley he had an issue with himself At one point I noticed with interest that soon turned to ambivalence that the venue was being promoted greater than the then bantamweight champion at the highest of the bill. I don’t learn about him, but I understood why by the tip of the night, because the suspense surrounding what a sporting event at The Sphere might appear to be paid off greater than the one-sided thrashing most educated fans accurately predicted he would receive within the important event.

But greater than anything, the important query I had before last night was why did the UFC’s first and potentially only show at The Sphere happen on Mexican Independence Day? As Noche UFC approached, I assumed that perhaps an event featuring Conor McGregor or Jon Jones could be an even bigger popular culture spectacle, International Fight Week would result in easier branding, and UFC 300, which fans and pundits alike made a mistake of underestimatingwould allow for a deeper card. Again, the event itself convinced me of its merits in a way that no moment or press conference confrontation could have prepared me for.

No other alternative I had in mind, a more fitting Sphere card, would have produced the breathtaking story of Noche UFC. The six interludes, produced by Oscar-winning filmmaker Carlos López Estrada of Antigravity Academy, made excellent use of The Sphere’s capabilities, transporting viewers through Mexican history with images that were awe-inspiring even on a television screen. Ancient civilizations, heroic freedom fighters, spiritual traditions, iconic combat athletes, and the virtues of Mexican culture were honored with Lucasian light and magic. Eight first- and second-generation Mexicana Octagon girls paraded between rounds in stunning costumes inspired by their shared heritage.

Despite the important event, the fights themselves matched the spectacle of the evening in a way that only high-level MMA drama can, especially when it’s done to honor the fighting spirit of a culture. Minutes after a brief film told the story of the indigenous warriors, the primary people to fight for the land now often called Mexico, Mexican flyweight Ronaldo Rodriguez escaped two near-death submissions to carry out for a unanimous decision over Ode’ Osbourne. Right after that, Mexico City native Daniel Zellhuber fought Argentine Esteban Ribovics in a mad, button-mashing frenzy, losing on the cards but gaining fans like me who were watching him fight for the primary time. And despite a lackluster performance from former women’s flyweight champion Alexa Grasso, I used to be on the sting of my seat, seemingly once per round, attempting to get Valentina Shevchenko to tap.

Much just like the 300 events that preceded them, UFC 306 has images which might be perpetually etched in my memory; exciting moments that I might have never predicted based on the names on the cardboard and the hype that preceded it.

I do not know if Noche UFC turned out to be “the greatest sporting event of all time,” as UFC CEO Dana White said promised in July. During his post-fight press availability, White admitted that it could be as much as the audience to choose whether the evening lived as much as those expectations. I’m generally a bit of allergic to creating such grandiose statements. But I’ll admit that Noche UFC was probably the most impressively produced televised sporting event I’ve ever seen—higher than any Super Bowl, NBA Finals, or WrestleMania I’ve ever watched.

It was a spectacle I couldn’t quite persuade myself to expect, but one I’ll always remember. If you’re still with me, scroll or click through the photos below to see what made the night so memorable.

It has been dropped at my attention that I could perhaps be more fair to other Marvel games. I all the time write about (Free) at any time when there’s an update, but other games are often relegated to Best Updates on Mondays. That is… an astute statement! So let’s enjoy Marvel Minute and see how other Marvel games are doing right away. It turns out that each (Free) and (Free) are currently having some cool events. Let’s have a look!

First up in , it’s Iron Man time! You know Tony. Always coming up with recent suits, finding larger and higher weapons to take care of any situation. This particular event is inspired by and has some recent storylines for Tony and Pepper. Here’s what you possibly can expect in this event, straight from the patch notes:

“The invincible Iron Man has joined Marvel Future Fight.

Defeat your enemies with upgraded suits!

1. New uniforms added!

-Iron Man, the rescue

2. New Tier-4 promotion!

-War Machine, Hulkbuster

3. New World Boss: Legend+ Added!

– The Black Order is back, “Corvus & Proxima”

4. Added recent custom equipment “CTP of Liberation”!

5. Event “Get 200 Crystals”

– Get 200 crystals by linking your email account!”

Okay, now onto the ever-popular fighting game, . New events in this game normally bring with them recent playable fighters, and at this point in the game’s life, some of these cuts are really deep. I do not think we’ll ever see a Marvel fighting game with such a various roster. Like Count Nefaria? Seriously? As a long-time Marvel fan, I like seeing these less common characters appear in general, let alone as playable characters. Let’s get into the patch notes to provide you the full picture:

“NEW CHAMPIONS

Count Nefarious

Count Luchino Nefaria was descended from a protracted line of Italian nobles and used his wealth and connections to grow to be a robust leader in the Maggia crime syndicate. He deepened his power by subjecting himself to scientific experiments that granted him superhuman abilities but cost him his life. He was later resurrected as a being composed entirely of ionic energy, making him immortal so long as he drained the energy of other ionic beings to take care of his power.

Shatra

The daughter of the elder goddesses Oshtur and Gaia, Shathra hails from a world that will grow to be referred to as Loomworld. Shathra was tasked with creating the Celestial Map of Humanity, but after being outdone by her younger sister Neith, she became enraged with jealousy and malice towards her sister and the Great Web she had designed. Consumed by vengeance and envy, Shathra gave in to her savage nature to destroy all that her sister had created, one Spider at a time.

NEW TASKS AND EVENTS

Event Quest – Lupus in Fabula

A pledge has been made to bring down the Collector’s ship! The Summoner is known as in to take these villains down! But the deeper they delve into the ship, the more trouble they get into, as each villain seems to have their very own plans for methods to best exploit the Collector’s treasures. Will the Summoner have the opportunity to take care of these rascals? Or will they sink with the ship? Find out in LUPUS IN FABULA!

Side Quest – The Greatest Game

The Maestro has announced 4 months of games to rejoice his return. The festivities begin with Circus Maximus, a blizzard of games and challenges organized by Count Nefaria. The Count will accept nothing lower than the best, the strongest, the biggest games. So dare to participate in LUDUM MAXIMUS!

Nefaria knows that true battles are a mix of skill and luck, so 5 times every week maps will open featuring random paths full of terrifying enemies!

Act 9; Chapter 1

Glykhan has self-destructed, but Ouroboros’ sinister plot is much from over. However, clues to where to go next seem few and far between. Fortunately (depending in your definition of luck), Superior Kang has just a few secrets to share in the form of holotelegrams scattered across Battleworld. Mister Fantastic and Doctor Doom send The Summoner on a mission to get better the information, but they are usually not the only ones on the lookout for answers. Will the past come back to haunt Battlerealm? Find out in Act 9 – Chapter 1: RECKONING

Great games

Introducing our third Saga: Glorious Games! To rejoice the history of the Contest and its triumphant return, Maestro has announced 4 months of Celebration Games. Each month of the Saga will revolve around a special gaming element, starting with September’s Circus Maximus and ending with December’s Grand Banquet! With classic ancient aesthetics, an exciting Champion chase, surprising Champion reworks, and all-new types of events and quests, Glorious Games is bound to kick off our tenth anniversary in style!

Events in the kingdom

Get able to team up with every Summoner in Battlerealm! Realm Events are a brand recent type of event where points shall be awarded on a worldwide level. Milestone rewards will be claimed by reaching global and individual point thresholds. For more competitive Summoners, ranked rewards can even be up for grabs, including an exclusive and unique player title.

And that is it. Let nobody say Shaun wasn’t interested in equal opportunity. In a way. Either way, each of these events look really cool in their very own way, and for those who have not played the games yet or have given up on them for some time, this could be one other good opportunity to try each. I do know I’ll try Count Nefaria. Look at him! He’s so mean! He hangs out with some mean guys! Hadouken? More like Ha–ken! Okay, sorry. I’m going now. Have fun!