UFC's Roadmap to Victory in Saudi Arabia

In what seems like no time at all Saudi Arabia has become perhaps the most important fighting hub on Earth, a reality that the UFC is struggling to adapt to.

Behind the decision-making of Turki Alalshikh, chairman of the Saudi General Entertainment Authority, the oil-rich Middle-Eastern nation has gone from hosting gimmicky influencer fights like Jake Paul vs Tommy Fury to showcasing the best that heavyweight boxing has to offer, including Anthony Joshua, Oleksandr Usyk, Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder.

Now, Alashikh has set his sights on MMA, with the UFC set to venture into Saudi Arabia for the first time on June 22nd. Many bookmakers are already offering some great prop bets for UFC Saudi Arabia, as the event is expected to pull in millions of viewers from around the globe.

But, without a single title fight on the card, many are wondering if Dana White might have dropped the ball with UFC Saudi Arabia, especially when you compare their card to the competition.

On Feb 24th, the Professional Fighters League, an MMA league in which SRJ Sports Investments (a branch of the Saudi Public Investment Fund) has minority ownership, put on a stellar “Champions vs Champions” card. This event featured practically all of the PFL’s best fighters, as well as many from the newly acquired Bellator franchise.

This ended up being a savvy business decision, as the PFL was able to make up for its relative lack of overall star power compared to the UFC by stacking its card front to back with its best talent. The result was a wildly successful event, which even got reigning UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones ringside.

This was always going to be a tough event for UFC to follow up despite their stacked roster, and they didn’t make things look better by pushing back UFC Saudi Arabia 2024 from its original March 2nd date back to June 22nd, which PFL’s President Donn Davis couldn’t help but make fun of.

I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the UFC March 2nd card was canceled the day before our fight,” said Davis. “That is not a mega-event. That is not worthy of being hosted in Saudi Arabia.”

Of course, you have to take the President of a rival MMA league's word with a grain of salt, but he does certainly have a point. The Saudis have shown over the last year or two that they only want the best of the best fighting in their country and, while fights like Robert Whittaker vs Khamzat Chimaev and Shara Magomedov vs Ihor Potiera offer plenty of intrigue on the UFC Saudi Arabia card, they aren’t the A-LIst names you’d expect when debuting in a new country.

But at the end of the day, the UFC is the UFC. Dana White and co. have turned the league into a combat sports juggernaut, one that cannot be underestimated. Even without a title bout on the card, a night full of close high-intensity fights should be enough to make UFC Saudi Arabia a success.