Who could ever forget UFC 229? Khabib, Conor, the chaos inside and outside the cage—it was carnage, theater, and sport all wrapped into one. Dana White called it the biggest night in UFC history, and numbers back him up. A sold-out T-Mobile Arena, $17 million at the gate, and nearly 2.4 million pay-per-view buys. That’s not just a fight; that’s history.
Fast forward to Las Vegas again, only this time the spotlight wasn’t on the Octagon. It was on Allegiant Stadium, where Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford drew more than 70,000 fans. The energy? Electric. The scale? Monumental. And according to UFC’s own Jon Anik—who called both McGregor vs. Khabib and Canelo vs. Crawford—this boxing blockbuster may have outshined the UFC’s crown jewel. Even Bruce Buffer, the voice of the Octagon, admitted what went down that night was unlike anything he’d ever seen.
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Nobody runs events like Dana White
During a recent conversation with TJ De Santis and UFC play-by-play man Jon Anik, Bruce Buffer reflected on the magnitude of Canelo Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford. Pointing to Anik, Buffer said, “You had 70,000+ fans popping away in Allegiant Stadium, attending the Netflix [card], which had a huge viewing audience and very entertaining boxing events that night.” Buffer highlighted how massive the night was for combat sports, with a crowd size and atmosphere unlike anything most had ever seen.
He went on to share a compliment passed along from his brother, legendary ring announcer Michael Buffer, who worked the broadcast. “My brother Michael Buffer was the announcer for the four televised events on Netflix. Michael made a comment to me and he said that literally the production team that night was the finest production team he ever worked with,” Bruce explained. He praised the smooth execution, noting, “Very well-oiled everybody, which we know is the production team of the UFC and how well-oiled a machine it is. But John did a great job. I was so proud of you. I was so proud of watching that.”
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The night itself delivered history. Canelo vs. Crawford shattered records previously held by UFC 229, as 70,482 fans packed Allegiant Stadium and produced $47,231,887 in gate revenue. That figure ranks as the third-highest gate in boxing history, trailing only Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor and Mayweather vs. Pacquiao. On top of the staggering numbers, Terence “Bud” Crawford cemented his place in the history books by becoming the undisputed champion in three weight divisions. Still, the lingering question remains: did Dana White really deserve credit for that?
Why Dana White may not deserve credit for the September 13 showdown
On the Thiccc Boy YouTube channel last week, Brendan Schaub questioned Dana White’s role in the Canelo Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford fight. He argued that White didn’t bring anything new to the table, saying, “I would ask him what part he had in this Terence Crawford vs. Canelo Alvarez fight? … It’s standard boxing protocol. So I didn’t see anything new. It’s weird to take credit for that.”
Schaub gave White some credit for Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor but not for the recent bout. “Mayweather-Conor I guess I would give you a little more grace because he did have the open mindset to allow Conor to do that and negotiate the deal. So the only one I give him credit for is Mayweather-McGregor,” he said. In his view, Turki Alalshikh did most of the work promoting Canelo vs. Crawford, while White mainly stayed visible in press conferences.
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Meanwhile, UFC Noche happened the same night and drew 18,005 fans with a $3.5 million gate. The comparison was clear: boxing raked in the money, but the UFC delivered the better fan experience. But while some argue Dana White hasn’t really contributed to boxing this year, word is he’s already planning something major for next year.
So, what do you think—did Dana White actually “own” that night in September, or was he just another face ringside watching history unfold?