Can Sean O'Malley outdo Canelo Alvarez in massive Sep. 14 pay-per-view clash? 'Sugar' weighs in amid low ticket sales

Sean O'Malley will headline the UFC 306 (Riyadh Season Noche UFC) fight card at the Sphere in Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.A., on Sept. 14, 2024. At the nearby T-Mobile Arena in Vegas, boxing megastar Canelo Alvarez will headline a boxing card around the same time. O'Malley has now addressed the clash of pay-per-views (PPVs) amid rumors of low ticket sales for the UFC event.

The UFC 306 prelims start at 8 p.m. ET, while the main card starts at 10 p.m. ET on Sept. 14. The Alvarez-helmed boxing card commences at 8 p.m. ET, with the main event ring walks likely to come around 11 p.m. ET on Sept. 14.

UFC CEO Dana White has long maintained that UFC 306 would be a one-off event at the unique Sphere venue and is a "love letter to the Mexican people." Some feel the fight card doesn't possess enough star power and is, therefore, being beaten in ticket sales by the Alvarez boxing event.

Speaking to Yahoo Sports' Kevin Iole, O'Malley recently addressed his upcoming UFC bantamweight title defense against Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 306. He also discussed the PPV clash against legendary Mexican pugilist Alvarez that'll transpire on Mexican Independence Day weekend.

While fans had long lobbied for Alvarez to fight archrival David Benavidez next, he's instead facing Edgar Berlanga. Alvarez defends his WBA (Super), WBC, WBO, and Ring Magazine super middleweight titles against Berlanga on Sept. 14.

O'Malley indicated that Alvarez fighting a relatively unheralded opponent rather than Benavidez benefits him and the UFC. Predicting that both events would do well, the American stated:

"I'm not sure who he's fighting. You just told me, but I can't remember the name even now. I'm glad that he's not fighting David Benavidez because that's something I would like to sit down and watch. So, I think it works out good. I think both nights are going to be very successful for both companies."

He added:

"But again, it's what happens in each fight. Do they go the distance? I put Merab's lights out in spectacular fashion, the way I know I'm capable of doing, the way I know it's going to play out. And I think Sunday, Monday, and the rest of that week, that's very, very telling on what event was more exciting."

Catch O'Malley's comments below (2:57):

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Noche UFC ticket sales: Sean O'Malley card seemingly affected by head-to-head clash with Canelo Alvarez card

Toward the end of August, the MMA community was abuzz with debate and discussion concerning the UFC 306 ticket sales. Despite it being billed as one of 2024's biggest sports events, there were still around 3k tickets up for sale, with just over a couple of weeks left for the event. Speculation abounded that it was likely due to the UFC overestimating Sean O'Malley's star power.

Furthermore, the nosebleed seats' prices have reportedly been lowered to around $800. It's believed that those seats were priced around $3k initially. Dana White, who claims the UFC has poured over $20 million to organize the event at the Sphere, has seemingly slashed the prices to boost ticket sales.

With UFC 306 featuring O'Malley and Merab Dvalishvili, a women's title fight trilogy, and UFC staples like Brian Ortega, the purported ticket sales issues are also partly attributed to the PPV's clash with Canelo Alvarez's event.