The occasion of the Mexican Independence Day is always a special one for Dana White, as he dedicates one PPV event to the rich combat sports history of the nation every year. Last year, the 55-year-old shared a grand gesture when he hosted Noche UFC 306 at the Sphere, and this year, the UFC CEO is going to bring the event to Mexico. However, the hurdles are stacking up for White, with some bad news regarding the venue for the event.

Dana White surprised fans at the beginning of this year by announcing his entry into boxing. Hence, under the TKO banner, the UFC CEO joined hands with Saudi Arabia’s GEA Chairman, His Excellency Turki Alalshikh, with the Canelo Alvarez vs Terence Crawford superfight being the headliner of their first event. However, the tides turned as the GEA Chairman announced that White and TKO were out of the deal, and it was Sela for Riyadh Season, who will solely promote that fight.

What’s more problematic for Dana White is that the Canelo Alvarez vs Terence Crawford fight is now scheduled to take place on the 13th of September. This clashes directly with his planned date for UFC 320. “We have confirmed the promoter for Canelo v Crawford will be Sela for Riyadh Season. The broadcaster we have not decided yet, but the date will be Saturday, 13th September,” HE Turki Alalshikh wrote on X. Now, another serious issue has come to the fore.

Dana White is bringing UFC 320 to Guadalajara at the new Arena Guadalajara, but the venue officials recently reported that there will be a delay in its opening. It was scheduled to open in February, but now, the timeframe is uncertain as the venue canceled a number of shows till early September. This really puts the UFC CEO in a tough spot because there is a chance that the delay gets extended.

According to the post, the venue cancelled a number of events; a concert by the Mexican pop band Reik on May 23rd, an appearance by the exhibition basketball team Harlem Globetrotters on May 24th, and the farewell tour of the retired luchador and political activist El Hijo del Santo on May 25th. Next month’s events were also cancelled; like a concert by the Venezuelan acid-jazz/funk band Los Amigos Invisibles, and a show titled ‘Magic Concert: Forever Children’ by Lara Campos and Saritah Bebé. The last to be cancelled was to be held on September 4th, featuring Maiden Symphony—a production featuring 15 of Iron Maiden’s most emblematic songs performed in symphonic versions.

While this news looks like a big issue, it appears that the UFC may not be too worried at all. In fact, one of the UFC executives addressed the questions surrounding the event almost a couple of months ago when the promotion visited Mexico City for a Fight Night. Let’s take a look at what he had to say.

UFC exec confident about Dana White’s UFC 320 plans

After an entertaining UFC on ESPN 64, featuring Brandon Moreno and Steve Erceg as the headliners, the UFC Senior VP of International and Content, David Shaw, addressed the media in the press conference about their queries regarding the availability of Arena Guadalajara for UFC 320. Dana White dropped the news during that event, and the UFC exec appeared very confident about the PPV taking place in that venue despite the delay.

Claiming that they had been in constant touch with the promoters and the owners of the 20,000-capacity venue, David Shaw said, “We’ve been in constant contact with them, enough so to be able to announce tonight. If we weren’t confident, we wouldn’t be announcing the fight.” Well, it remains to be seen what happens when we reach September in a matter of months.

As the uncertainty surrounding UFC 320 in Mexico grows, Dana White may also face issues with an alternative venue, Arena CDMX. It’s because that venue is also booked on 13th September as Mexican musician Ramón Ayala will be holding his farewell tour. How do you think things will pan out for the PPV? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.