This event marked the promotion's second "Noche UFC" edition celebrating Mexican independence day after holding UFC Fight Night: Grasso vs. Shevchenko 2 the year prior.[4] It was also the first time the UFC has allowed a sponsor to have title partner status, officially rebranding it as "Riyadh Season Noche UFC", after a partnership with Saudi Arabia's General Entertainment Authority.[3] The event told the history of combat in Mexico from the past to the future.[5] UFC chief content officer Craig Borsasi discussed the six 90-second film clips about Mexico's contribution to combat sports playing between bouts on the main card and that they were produced by film director Carlos López Estrada.[6][7] Each bout took place in a different world with images on the LED screens inside the arena.[7] White said that the budget for the production of the one-time only event exceeded $20 million compared to the approximate $2 million that is used at regular pay-per-view events.[7] Also, all but one of the fights on the card (the main event) featured a Mexican-born or Mexican-American fighter.[8] In addition, eight ring girls of Mexican descent were brought in for this event.[9] A UFC Bantamweight Championship bout between current champion Sean O'Malley and Merab Dvalishvili headlined the event.[10] A UFC Women's Flyweight Championship trilogy bout between current champion Alexa Grasso and former champion Valentina Shevchenko took place at the event.[11] The pairing first met at UFC 285 in March 2023, where Grasso won the title by fourth round submission upset.[12] Their second meeting took place at UFC Fight Night: Grasso vs. Shevchenko 2 in September 2023, which the bout ended by split draw.[13] The pairing previously coached on The Ultimate Fighter: Team Grasso vs. Team Shevchenko against each other.[14] Manon Fiorot is expected to serve as backup and potential replacement for this fight.[15] A featherweight bout between former UFC Featherweight Championship challenger Brian Ortega and Diego Lopes took place at the event.[16] The pair was previously expected to meet at UFC 303, but Ortega withdrew just hours before the bout due to illness.[17] A middleweight bout between former LFA Middleweight Champion Anthony Hernandez and Michel Pereira was scheduled for this event.[18] However, the bout was moved to UFC Fight Night: Pereira vs. Hernandez to serve as the main event.[19] A flyweight bout between Édgar Cháirez and Kevin Borjas was scheduled for this event.[20] However, Borjas withdrew from the fight for unknown reasons and was replaced by Joshua Van.[21]