Noche UFC: Dana White expects The Sphere to rake in $27 Million

Manuel Torres of Mexico walks to the octagon prior to his fight against Ignacio Bahamondes of Chile (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

UFC Noche is just a little over a month away, and it’s shaping up to be one of the best fight cards of the year. Headlining the fight card will be the two best bantamweights the UFC has to offer, as champion Sean O’Malley looks to settle his beef and defend his title for a second time against the surging Georgian, Merab Dvalishvili.

Serving as the co-main event is the trilogy fight for the UFC Women’s Flyweight Championship, as champion Alexa Grasso looks to finally put this rivalry to rest and defend her title for the first time against former champ Valentina Shevchenko. The rest of this card is littered with elite talent, and since it’s taking place during Mexican Independence Day on September 16th, there are numerous Mexican fighters on the fight card.

What makes this event so special is the venue. This fight will be held at the Las Vegas Sphere, the very first sporting event to take place inside this venue.

I’m $20 ******* million dollars into this thing. I’m anywhere between $17 and $20 million right now, and the fight isn’t until September 14th.

Dana White spoke with Kevin Iole about the logistics of making this event possible: “It’s on par with the Canelo fight. Obviously, this is a one-of-one event. I’m $20 ******* million dollars into this thing. I’m anywhere between $17 and $20 million right now, and the fight isn’t until September 14th.”

This fight card has a ton of hype surrounding it, and rightfully so. However, with this fight card being such a massive event, ticket prices have surged. 

Dana White has said that the UFC does their homework, and they expect not only the hardcore fans to be in attendance but also the casual fans. Normally, a casual fan wouldn’t spend over $1,000 just to walk in the door to see a UFC event, but White insists this will be the best event the UFC has ever put on, expecting record numbers in gate revenue.

Kevin Iole asked Dana White, “What do you think your gate is going to be that night then?” White replied, “Anywhere from $25 to $27 million.”

If Noche UFC, aka UFC 306, pulls in just shy of what Dana White and the UFC are projecting, it will go down as the highest-grossing event in UFC history. No event has yet to surpass the $17,700,000 that UFC 205 brought in.

UFC 205 was the historic title fight between Conor McGregor and Eddie Alvarez. McGregor stepped up in weight on short notice to compete against Alvarez to become the first-ever double-champ in UFC history.

If Noche UFC does the projected $27 million, as Dana White insists, it will shatter UFC 205’s numbers, making it difficult for the UFC to ever surpass that number.

To make matters more challenging, the UFC is going against some stiff competition that same weekend. Noche UFC is not the only event happening; Canelo Alvarez will be headlining the T-Mobile Arena, competing against challenger Edgar Berlanga.

Dana White spoke about the difference between a Canelo fight and a UFC fight: 

“The difference is, the Canelo fight that is happening the same night, MGM is guaranteeing that gate. MGM is guaranteeing the gate, we do everything. All in-house, and no one is guaranteeing us the gate; we are spending the money on this thing.”

Going head-to-head with a Mexican fighter of Canelo Alvarez’s status is a tall task, but if there is one person that can compete with him and put on an amazing show, it’s Dana White and the UFC.

Dana White expects a large Mexican crowd to attend the event, which could impact the Canelo fight: 

Noche UFC is shaping up to be one insane event going down on September 14th live from the Las Vegas Sphere. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime event you’re not going to want to miss out on this stacked night of fights.