The UFC will announce its promotional debut in Saudi Arabia on June 23. Dana White excitedly announced their debut in the Kingdom in March, announcing Khamzat Chimaev vs. Robert Whittaker as the main event. Turki Alalshikh recently announced more news about the partnership with the CEO of the world’s premier MMA promotion.
Alalshikh, the chairman of the General Entertainment Authority, is the mastermind behind sporting events in the Kingdom. Dana White even stated that nobody except Alalshikh could destroy the politics of boxing and make high-profile fights happen. White’s dream venue is the Las Vegas Sphere, where they will host UFC 306. Alalshikh interestingly has stakes in the event, as revealed on the MMA Hour.
Important thing to explain to the people. There will be a huge UFC card [UFC 306] in September in [Las] Vegas in the Sphere, presented by Riyadh season and supported by Riyadh season, and it will be an amazing card.
Turki Alalshikh via MMA Hour
Alalshikh also revealed he had done a deal with the UFC to put on a big event later this year. The Saudi adviser did confirm the event would likely be a PPV event. However, it’s unlikely that the UFC will hold a PPV event in Saudi Arabia.
The UFC annually goes to UAE for the October PPV. Moreover, the PPVs in November and December are generally in the US, in MSG and T-Mobile Arena, respectively. As they want big fights, Alalshikh has plans for Conor McGregor to fight in the country.
Turki Alalshikh speaks on the potential of Conor McGregor fighting in Saudi Arabia
Conor McGregor is the biggest superstar in MMA. He even debuted in a Hollywood movie, becoming the highest-paid debutant. Moreover, he recently became a part owner of BKFC through Mcgregor Sports And Entertainment Limited.
Conor McGregor, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Turki Alalshikh (Image via: X)McGregor will return to the octagon at UFC 303 against Michael Chandler. He is returning after a three-year lay-off after he broke his leg in the fight against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264. On the MMA Hour, Alalshikh confirmed he had talked with Dana White about having McGregor fight in Riyadh.
However, his Excellency also stated he had only begun the relationship with the UFC, and a McGregor fight could happen sometime in the future. Moreover, Alalshikh also plans to organize super fights in professional boxing.
A potential Gervonta Davis vs. Naoya Inoue fight is something Alalshikh is interested in making. Moreover, he also revealed their plans to make the Canelo Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford in the US later this year. New York, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles are potential locations for the fight.
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