The UFC’s debut in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has been pushed back.
Initially set for March 2, 2024 at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the Fight Night event that would have been is no more. Per a report by Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, the event has been pushed back, with the Saudi government looking for a more high-profile event.
No main event had been announced for the card, and just a handful of stars had been booked to take part up to this point, including Mohammad Mokaev and Jairzinho Rozenstruik.
That’s not deep enough for the Saudis, apparently. Per Helwani, June is a possible landing date for the event. Coincidentally, Islam Makhachev recently hinted at a PPV appearance on June 8, 2024.
It’s unclear whether the organization will shift the UFC Saudi Arabia date to another venue, likely the Apex, or if the event will be cancelled outright. Thus far the event had seen the following match-ups reportedly booked:
- Muhammad Mokaev vs. Alex Perez
- Eryk Anders vs. Jamie Pickett
- Ľudovít Klein vs. Joel Álvarez
- Vinicius Oliveira vs Yanis Ghemmouri
- Jairzinho Rozenstruik vs. Shamil Gaziev
- Mohammad Yahya vs. Brendan Marotte
- Javid Basharat vs. Aiemann Zahabi
- Abdul-Kareem Al-Selwady vs. Loik Radzhabo
If the promotion does in fact push back UFC Saudi Arabia, it will be the second cancelled overseas visit in a matter of months. In December, a planned return to Shanghai, China — also a thin card on paper — was shifted to the Apex in Las Vegas.
