EXCLUSIVE: Daryl Dixon and AMC are stepping inside the UFC Octagon tonight.
Two weeks before the new season of The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon – The Book of Carol debuts on the cabler and its AMC+ streamer, the Norman Reedus fronted series is going to be in front of all those watching UFC 306 tonight from Las Vegas’ Sphere.
To be specific, the logo for the September 29 premiering Season 2 series is going to be right on the canvas for Saturday’s pay-per-view extravaganza out of Sin City, I’ve learned – as you can see here:
Going straight for a core TWD demographic, like AMC did in many ways during the heyday of Mad Men, the promo will be in the paid center of the octagon for the entire evening. Preliminaries for the $79.99 priced UFC 3036 start at 4:30 p.m. PT/7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN+ and the night’s main event double title fights at around at 7 p.m. PT/10 p.m. ET.
The very first sporting event to be held in the high tech and multi-screen Sphere, which opened with a U2 residency back in September 2023, UFC boss Dana White is touting tonight’s PPV ESPN+ shown shindig as a “love letter” to Mexico. Officially titled “Riyadh Season Noche UFC,” the Mexican Independence Day themed night is co-headlined with a much anticipated and much hyped battle between UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley and No. 1 ranked UFC bantamweight contender Merab Dvalishvili.
Shooting the recently announced third season of Daryl Dixon in Spain right now, Reedus himself won’t among the nearly 20,000 attendees for Saturday’s mega-rumble. However, the Walking Dead alum and co-star Melissa McBride will be all over ESPN+, ESPN, and ESPN News with a new ad for The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon – The Book of Carol – which you can get a sneak peek at here:
“We are thrilled to showcase AMC and AMC+ The Walking Dead, Daryl Dixon: Book Of Carol in the Octagon tonight at Sphere Las Vegas,” Grant Norris Jones, TKO EVP and head of Global partnerships said Saturday of the promo crossover of sorts. “Noche UFC will be a game changer for sports and entertainment and this event is the perfect opportunity to highlight a beloved franchise,” the exec added of the co-headlined UFC flyweight champion Alexa Grasso and former titleholder Valentina Shevchenko titled event.
AMC’s marketing chief threw down today too
“Daryl Dixon has been in some interesting places, from the woods of Georgia to a boat crossing the Atlantic to post-apocalyptic France, but prime placement on the canvas of UFC 306 at Sphere in Las Vegas is something new,” says Kim Granito, chief marketing officer of AMC Networks. “This historic event is a perfect opportunity to promote the upcoming season of The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon – The Book of Carol to UFC fans who have already demonstrated a strong affinity for Daryl and the entire TWD universe.”
Daryl Dixon won’t be the only big small screen name at UFC 3036 tonight.
Narrated by Gael Garcia Bernal, the For Mexico, For All Time film will be shown on the Sphere’s interior screens throughout Saturday’s event. Told in six 90-second chapters by the Mozart in the Jungle Golden Globe winner, the Carlos López Estrada created short spotlights significant eras and occasions in Mexican history including the Paul Trillo directed final chapter ‘Mexico Today and Tomorrow.’
In terms of tomorrow, The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon – The Book of Carol sees Reedus’ archer character reunited in Europe with McBride’s O.G. Survivor Carol Peletier. The Reedus, McBride, David Zabel, Scott M. Gimple,, Greg Nicotero, Angela Kang, Brian Bockrath, Daniel Percival, Jason Richman and Steve Squillante EP’d second season runs over six episodes from September 20 to November 3, just before the general election here in the U.S.A.
