The UFC is set to venture into Saudi Arabia for its first event in the region on March 2024.
The news was first reported by ESPN’s Marc Raimondi, with it marking part of the Riyadh Festival Season in the region, as Saudi Arabia looks to continue embracing global sporting events.
Current beliefs are that it will be a fight night card and not a PPV, with fighters on the card set to be revealed soon.
It also marks a continued focus on boosting MMA in Saudi Arabia, with the country recently becoming a significant investor in the PFL.
The UFC has a strong footprint in the Middle East having established positive relations with the UAE during the pandemic, now hosting yearly PPVs in the region – continuing with this month’s UFC 294 card.
Nonetheless this deal with Saudi Arabia comes following the merger between the UFC and WWE, building on the WWE’s strong links in Saudi Arabia.
Combat sports have been at the forefront of the focus of Saudi Arabia’s sporting offering – with it kicking off this year’s Riyadh Season with the hotly anticipated exhibition bout between Francis Ngannou and Tyson Fury in the capital.
