UFC CEO Dana White is crossing his fingers that UFC 294 will outperform Tyson Fury vs. Francis Ngannou on pay-per-view.

UFC 294 takes place on Saturday night from the Etihad Arena Abu Dhabi, while Fury vs. Ngannou takes place next Saturday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

White's company loaded up UFC 294, with a double main event featuring a lightweight championship rematch between reigning beltholder Islam Makhachev and challenger Alex Volkanovski - and the other bout will see former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman facing undefeated rising middleweight Khamzat Chimaev in a world title eliminator.

Ngannou, a former UFC heavyweight champion, will enter the ring for the first time since officially parting ways with White's company in early 2023. Ngannou was never defeated for the UFC title and eventually signed a promotional agreement with rival organization PFL.

The fight with Fury will be a non-title affair, as the Gypsy King's WBC strap will not be at stake in the crossover clash.

Despite being a massive underdog, Ngannou's debut in a boxing ring will certainly draw some curiosity from fans of MMA.

Some fans will not shell out the money for both Fury-Ngannou and UFC 294. Both cards are priced at $79.99.

White believes UFC 294 will draw better numbers on pay-per-view.

“I would certainly hope so,” White said. “Let’s be honest. Without smashing anybody here, these [guys in the main events on UFC 294] are the best fighters in the world in each weight class. That’s what you wanna see. You wanna see the best fight the best. These two right here, and these two right here, are the best. I would say yes, sir. But I’m pretty biased.”