UFC CEO Dana White is hopeful that UFC 294 will do better pay-per-view numbers than the Tyson Fury vs. Francis Ngannou boxing fight next weekend.
The UFC is in Abu Dhabi on Saturday for a very solid UFC 294 card that sees Islam Makhachev rematching Alexander Volkanovski for the lightweight title. The co-main event sees former welterweight champ Kamaru Usman step up on short notice to face Khamzat Chimaev at middleweight.
Tyson Fury vs. Francis Ngannou is more of a one-fight pay-per-view card, but the spectacle of it has a lot of intrigue. Given that both events are in the Middle East and in the afternoon in the U.S., it may impact the pay-per-view buyrate, but Dana White is hopeful the real fights at UFC 294 outdraw the boxing match.
Dana White believes UFC 294 is the best vs. the best
Dana White asked if UFC 294 will do better numbers and be louder and better than Fury/Ngannou.#UFC294 pic.twitter.com/mokugCB6qj
— Jed I. Goodman © (@jedigoodman) October 19, 2023
“I would certainly hope so, I would certainly hope so, yes. Let’s be honest, without smashing anybody here, these are the best fighters in the world in each weight class. That’s what you wanna see. You wanna see the best fight the best. These two right here (Makhachev and Volkanovski), and these two right here (Usman and Chimaev), are the best. I would say yes, sir. But I’m pretty biased,” White said at the UFC 294 press conference.
There’s no question that the fights at UFC 294 should be closer on paper than Tyson Fury vs. Francis Ngannou. Fury is arguably the best boxer in the world while Ngannou will be making his boxing debut. Furthermore, Fury has already set his next fight date even before his match against Ngannou, displaying his strong belief in winning the upcoming bout effortlessly.
Currently, Fury is a -1400 betting favorite while Ngannou is a +750 underdog. At those odds, the oddsmakers are implying Fury has a 93.3% chance of winning the fight. Given that the fight is expected to be one-sided, Dana White is hopeful that UFC 294 does better pay-per-view numbers.
