Dana White has predicted that the upcoming UFC Noche (UFC 306) card on September 14 will be the highest-grossing gate event in UFC history. And by quite a margin to boot. The current highest gate of any UFC event is for the Eddie Alvarez vs. Conor McGregor-led UFC 205 card almost eight years ago, which had raked in a reported $17.7 million. This card, of course, was one of the most historic cards in the promotion’s history as Conor McGregor became the first-ever concurrent two-division champion of the UFC.

The UFC 306 card, of course, will be held in the iconic ‘Sphere’ in Las Vegas, headlined by Sean O’Malley vs. Merab Dvalishvili, and featuring Mexican women’s flyweight champion Alexa Grasso take on Valentina Shevchenko in the co-main event. The event will commemorate the Mexican Independence Day, since it has emerged as a huge market for the UFC. And Dana White thinks this card will leave the UFC 205 gate collection in the dust and make around $25 million to $27 million, an almost forty percent increase over the current record-holder.

The historic and unprecedented nature of the UFC Noche card is likely to be a big factor in the Noche card potentially being a record-breaking one. UFC 306 will be the first fight card ever at the Sphere, which is perhaps the most unique venue in the world. However, despite Dana White’s confidence, there is stiff competition for UFC 306 as perhaps the biggest Mexican combat sports star is fighting on the same night.

Dana White UFC 306 prediction may run into ‘Canelo’ shaped obstacle

Mexican boxing champion Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez will take on Edgar Berlanga on September 14. And he will do it in Las Vegas, on the same date and in the same city as UFC 306. Given the heroic status ‘Canelo’ holds among Mexican fight fans, his fight will almost definitely be stiff competition for UFC 306.

After all, not only is Alvarez a bigger star in Mexico than any UFC fighter, he is headlining the Independence Day card, unlike UFC 306, which will be led by an American taking on a Georgian for the bantamweight title.

For the co-main event, Alexa Grasso is Mexican and her trilogy fight with Shevchenko is one of the most awaited fights in the promotion. But, as we have mentioned, her star power is nowhere near ‘Canelo’s. What UFC 306 has going for it is that it will take place at ‘The Sphere’, which has a novelty value of its own. But, even if the UFC 306 card manages to rake in $25-$27 million, it will not be as big a success as it may seem on paper.

Dana White has admitted that he has invested around $17 million already in putting on the event at ‘The Sphere’. And the UFC CEO’s predictions of a record-breaking gate may be more wishful thinking than an actual estimate.