With less than a week to go until UFC 322, all eyes are on the headline welterweight title bout between Jack Della Maddalena and Islam Makhachev. At the same time, the careers of 26 fighters on the fight card are also on the line, each facing immense pressure. On top of that, nothing compares to the challenge UFC CEO Dana White and the promotion face with their prestigious Madison Square Garden event. Interestingly, last year, the UFC sold out tickets back-to-back, raking in massive live gate revenue, but this year hasn’t matched that success.

UFC 317, earlier this year, became the promotion’s highest-grossing pay-per-view, however, it pulled in less than $12 million at the gate, raising questions about this year’s MSG showcase. By comparison, UFC 309 at the same venue last year earned a staggering $16,673,954. Now, with just days remaining until fight night, UFC insider Chael Sonnen has revealed some behind-the-scenes chaos and shared shocking details.

Chael Sonnen calls the buzz low for UFC 322 while anticipating huge numbers

Chael Sonnen pointed out that, with Khabib Nurmagomedov absent, Islam Makhachev is widely seen as the “most famous” athlete in the Muslim World. Still, for ‘The American Gangster’, the excitement surrounding this fight doesn’t match the “Buzz” Khabib brought to his bouts. One positive note ‘Uncle Chael’ offers fans and fighters is the expected financial success of the event. He revealed that the fight is projected to surpass $20 million in live gate revenue.

With the stakes this high, bettors are already studying every angle of the fight. Checking updated UFC Fights odds gives a clear idea of how the market views both Makhachev and Maddalena heading into fight week — especially as analysts debate whether the underdog can pull off an upset at Madison Square Garden.

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Since 2016, starting with Conor McGregor vs Eddie Alvarez at UFC 205 in Madison Square Garden, the venue has consistently been the stage for record-breaking revenue. UFC 205 set the bar with $17.7 million, and while last year’s UFC 309 featuring Jon Jones came close, no event has yet surpassed it.

Chael Sonnen again spoke to Ariel Helwani, revealing, “But then meanwhile, they’ve got this great big gate. You know, the gate record used to be 17.4 million. Controversies. Alvarez, first time UFC played New York. I don’t know for sure that they’re going to beat that, but they’re expecting to be able to announce 20 million, which is a big deal because Espinoza ran his mouth to Dana one time about 20 million. So now Dana just wants 20 million dollars to stick it... Espinoza said something about, ‘You can’t get 20 million dollars, gains,’ and Dana’s like, ‘I’m getting 20 million dollars.'”

Last year was a remarkable one for Dana White and the UFC, with events like UFC 306, 309, 300, and 303 setting record earnings. Chael Sonnen has long been fascinated with UFC’s live gate records at Madison Square Garden. He made similar predictions last year ahead of UFC 309, when Jon Jones defended his title against Stipe Miocic in what turned out to be Jones’ final UFC fight.

At the time, the UFC veteran believed the card had all the right “ingredients” to break records, but it ultimately fell short. This time, however, he feels the numbers could finally deliver, even if the buzz isn’t the same. According to Chael Sonnen, the underwhelming hype around UFC 322 may have less to do with the fighters and more with ESPN’s lack of promotional push.

Chael Sonnen analyzes the factors slowing down the hype for Islam Makhachev vs Jack Della Madalena

As 2025 draws to a close, it also signals the end of the UFC’s seven-year partnership with ESPN, a relationship often described as “head-butting.” Moving forward, the UFC plans to abandon the traditional pay-per-view model and begin a new streaming deal with Paramount+ in early 2026. Until then, the promotion has just a few Fight Nights and two pay-per-view events left under the ESPN banner.

Chael Sonnen believes ESPN is still putting effort into promoting these final events much like it did last year. Speaking with Ariel Helwani, Sonnen claimed, “perhaps they’re marketing it in a way because it’s sold out. It’s absolutely packed business. They got a huge gate,…” prompting Helwani to ask for more insight. The former UFC contender elaborated, “Well, one of my guesses is because maybe they did go to it to a different crowd, different marketing than I personally feel. Secondly, where are we at with ESPN at the helm, but Paramount coming in?”

Helwani then pressed ‘The American Gangster’ for clarification, asking, “Can you just expand on that momentarily? Do you think it’s a bit of a lame duck in that ESPN isn’t as incentivized to promote because we’re approaching the end of the deal?” To this, Chael Sonnen replied, “Yes. I—I haven’t actually experienced or seen that where I can tell you, ‘Hey, we can’t.’ Perhaps because I feel it’s a little bit small, yeah, only 2-1 pay-per-view, by the way.”

Sonnen’s comments have certainly turned heads, combining his criticism of the event’s lack of buzz with his bold prediction that it could still surpass $20 million at the gate. Do you think the UFC veteran’s assessment holds weight? Will UFC 322 Islam Makhachev vs Jack Della Maddalena live up to his expectations? Drop your opinion below.