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UFC makes KSA debut with Clair Global

UFC made its debut in Saudi Arabia, marking a key event in the MMA organization’s 30+ year history. On June 22, 2024, fans descended on the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, the country’s premier live sports and entertainment venue, for the UFC Fight Night: Whittaker vs. Aliskerov. While Clair Global has previously provided audio services for UFC globally, this event was the first partnership for live audiences in the Middle East.

The occasion was led by Phil Campbell and mixed by FOH Engineer Andy Banks, who opted for a Yamaha Rivage PM7 from Clair’s Middle East inventory. To fully service UFC’s live audio requirements, Clair Global Regional Manager Stu Wright oversaw the deployment of an in-the-round Cohesion PA.

“The event is televised for worldwide viewers and the audience reactions are crucial”, says Al Woods, Clair Global UAE COO. “Therefore, the PA needs to be coherent and punchy. Clair has deployed similar sized Cohesion systems in the region for both music and sporting events, but our UFC PA system differed due to the cable infrastructure.”

“The Kingdom Arena has a height of 47 m and an external dimension of 220 m x 150 m, so to keep the cables out of eyeline for the TV broadcast camera shots, the cable lengths and management system were both detailed and extensive”, continues Woods. “To achieve a clean look, some of the runs were well over 100 m in length. As with all Cohesion system deployments, Clair’s proprietary Hi-D cabling system was used.”

Designed by Clair’s Leon Fink, the system comprised two main hangs of sixteen Cohesion CO10 to cover the two end stands and “pitch” area, and at approximately 90-degrees to the mains, four flown out hangs consisting of twelve CO8 boxes provided coverage to the arena’s VIP and main stands.

For low-end sub coverage, two hangs of Cohesion CP218 II+ with floor subs beneath the grandstands and two CP118+ were deployed under the Octagon, enabling additional sub impact during the fight. For front row members of the audience, Clair deployed eight Cohesion CP6+ for down-fill. The system was controlled, tuned, and aligned using Lake LM44’s and Lab Gruppen PLM Series amplifiers. Clair also provided RF, which was covered by fourteen channels of Shure Axient with a Shure PSM 1000 IEM system.

(Photos: Clair Global)

www.clairglobal.com

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