UFC Sphere Vs. Canelo Alvarez: The battle for ‘Mexican Independence Day’ combat sports supremacy

Fight fans in Las Vegas, Nevada, have incredible options this weekend (Sat., Sept. 14, 2024).

Between the high-profile UFC 306 event inside The Sphere and Canelo Alvarez’s latest title defense versus Edgar Berlanga, there’s going to be a whole lot of high-level face-punching going on to celebrate Mexican Independence Day.

However, all of those individual fights seem relatively minor compared to the overarching battle of promotion vs. promotion and sport vs. sport. Despite the politeness and UFC CEO Dana White’s promise to praise Canelo during UFC 306’s broadcast, make no mistake: a showdown is taking place between powerful players in combat sports for dominance in the Mexican Independence Day market.

Historically, Sept. 16 is a big day for boxing. It makes total sense that Canelo Alvarez — the biggest star in boxing, Mexico or otherwise — would set a title defense for that weekend. UFC is the newcomer, having enjoyed an incredibly successful inaugural Noche UFC event last year. The card was so much fun that White promised more to come, and he went MASSIVE by booking The Sphere for the sophomore event.

While historically UFC has been consistent in its efforts to grow promotional popularity in Mexico, the event is ultimately a costly and exciting move from a company that recently has placed little value in spending money or taking chances. With this specific and heavy investment in UFC 306 and The Sphere, the stakes have been raised perhaps more than anybody initially realized.

Take, for example, the declining seat prices of UFC 306. Tickets that were initially selling for $3,000 are now available for about $500. At the time of writing, the event has yet to sell out. Many believe this slowing in ticket sales is because of Canelo’s match in “Sin City” being a cheaper, or debatably more attractive, alternative.

Then, there’s the strange bedfellows UFC finds itself involved with regarding this event. Why is their Mexican combat sports celebration sponsored by Riyadh? White hates Oscar De La Hoya, so what is “Golden Boy” doing in attendance at Noche UFC? Another established figure in boxing promotion, Turki Alalshikh, will be in UFC 306’s crowd as well rather than supporting boxing.

The explanation is personal.

Both De La Hoya and Alalshikh have beef with Canelo and are motivated to see his event struggle. Whether those grudges against Canelo result in further UFC 306 success remains to be seen, but the bad blood is at least enough to send boxing promoters cageside.

At the end of the day, the dueling events this weekend will carry significant consequences for the sports of boxing and mixed martial arts (MMA) alike. Despite that, an interesting angle here is that it doesn’t feel like either sport is fully putting its best foot forward in capturing the Mexican market. Alvarez vs. Berlanga is fine and will probably produce the Canelo victory that people want to see, but it’s not the most in-demand match up available for the superstar. Similarly, UFC 306 is a good card, not a great one. Despite hyperbolic promises, UFC 299 and UFC 300 earlier this year were more stacked with talent and name recognition. Ultimately, UFC is selling the spectacle of The Sphere more than any Mexican athlete or even the fight card itself.

Regardless of who’s victorious this year, we may see a rematch in 12 months time without any holding back.

Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 306 fight card right here, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m. ET (simulcast on ESPNews at 8 p.m. ET), before the pay-per-view (PPV) main card start time at 10 p.m. ET (also on ESPN+).

To check out the latest and greatest UFC 306: “O’Malley vs. Merab” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.