The fight dates in May and September are considered sacred in combat sports because so many Mexicans celebrate their holiday weekends – Cinco de Mayo and Mexican Independence Day on September 16 – by watching boxing matches.

Julio César Chávez, Oscar De La Hoya, Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Canelo Álvarez have had a stranglehold on dates for the past 30 years.

But the UFC strikes back.

Álvarez will face Edgar Berlanga on Saturday during Mexican Independence Day weekend at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

UFC President Dana White said he plans to take over at least one of the Mexican holiday fight weekends.

(John Locher/Associated Press)

Super middleweight king and Mexican superstar Álvarez will not only have to face undefeated upstart Berlanga, but also the UFC, as the mixed martial arts organization hosts its first live sporting event with much planned pomp and circumstance at The Sphere across the street.

UFC President and CEO Dana White dedicates the $20 million production of UFC 306 / Noche UFC as a “love letter” to Mexico and plans to regularly host shows around Mexican holidays in the future.

Boxing versus MMA has become a fight within fights on Saturday night, even if the major players don’t openly admit it’s about market share.

Last year, the UFC was the first to secure the Mexican Independence Day date at T-Mobile Arena, and pushed Álvarez to fight at the same venue on September 30. This year, Álvarez’s camp countered by securing the pre-UFC date with arena operator MGM Resorts.

“If that hadn’t happened, or if it hadn’t happened the way it did, I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to make ‘The Sphere,'” White said in an interview.

Canelo Álvarez has long been the king of Mexican holiday fight weekends in Las Vegas and stresses that he does not see the UFC as competition for audiences on those days.

(Refugio Ruiz/Associated Press)

Álvarez, who just won a unanimous decision victory over Jaime Munguia on May 6 at T-Mobile Arena, does not view the UFC’s infiltration of his traditional fight schedule as a threat.

“No, nothing – competition is good,” he said. “My dates are May and September. I just focus on what I’m doing. If someone wants to do another show, that’s fine.”

There had been scheduling conflicts between Álvarez and the UFC before, and although Álvarez won the fight, he lost track of the evening.

During his knockout win over Sergey Kovalev on November 2, 2019, Álvarez infamously sat slumped on a sofa, inexplicably waiting for the UFC to finish its program at Madison Square Garden in New York. Álvarez’s then-streaming partner DAZN decided to wait until the Nate Diaz vs. Jorge Masvidal fight was over before moving forward with his show at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. To make matters worse, the UFC program was broadcast on the MGM Grand’s in-arena screens to keep fans occupied before Álvarez could make his ringwalk.

“It’s not that I want to fight Canelo in any way (on Saturday) or hurt him,” White said. “I respect Canelo as a fighter and as a person. I have no quarrel with him. I have no quarrel with (Álvarez trainer and Premier Boxing Champions boss Al) Haymon.”

White said UFC 306 — which will be headlined by bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley’s title defense against Merab Dvalishvili — will be a financial success despite the huge operating costs. The UFC’s sponsorship of Turki Alalshikh, chairman of the General Entertainment Authority of Saudi Arabia, has also helped cover costs.

Merab Dvalishvili, left, celebrates in the final seconds against Henry Cejudo during their bantamweight bout at UFC 298 on Feb. 17 in Anaheim. Dvalishvili is one of the fighters on the UFC card in Las Vegas on Saturday night.

(Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press)

Although Alalshikh plans to work with Álvarez, the combat sports powerhouse also promises that the UFC will outflank the competition for Álvarez on Saturday night.

“It’s going to be the biggest box office in UFC history at $22-23 million,” White said. “MGM is guaranteeing (Álvarez’s) $25 million. My box office is legitimate. I’m sure Canelo will do well. He’ll make money and we’ll do our thing on the same night.”

Tom Brown, head of San Fernando Valley-based TGB Promotions, works with PBC and has been Álvarez’s main promoter for four fights in Las Vegas in recent years. The veteran boxing manager refuted White’s claim that MGM was guaranteeing the tickets.

“I’m a huge Dana White fan and I respect him, but MGM is not guaranteeing us tickets and he knows that,” Brown said. “Competition is good and great for the city of Las Vegas, for Mexican fans and for combat sports. It will only help both sports. I think both shows will be successful and I wish the UFC nothing but success. We’re going to have a big night on Saturday and it’s a grand slam for the city.”

White said the UFC broke its pay-per-view pre-buy record for the event. The UFC PPV costs $80 and Álvarez’s PPV costs $90, not including subscription costs.

Combat sports fans with purchasing power for PPVs will either check out the UFC’s more competitive card and the glitz and glamour of the Sphere, or return to the proven Álvarez to see if he can score his first knockout win in five fights against the huge underdog Berlanga.

Álvarez took a risk and chose the Puerto Rican rather than face the more deserving David Benavidez, especially since he is waiting for Alalshikh to make good on his promise of over $100 million in salary to face the rising Mexican-American challenger.

Álvarez’s arrogant attitude towards scheduling fights with less deserving opponents could be music to White’s ears as they vie for attention on two of the most important fight nights on the calendar.

“They still have a lot of boxing fans, and not all Mexicans are UFC fans yet,” White said. “My opinion of Noche UFC has changed. The next day I’ll think about how to make it even more special next year.”