The UFC’s first event in Saudi Arabia has been delayed, according to Ariel Helwani. The UFC Fight Night event, originally set for March 2 in Riyadh, will now likely take place later in the year, potentially in June. According to Helwani, Saudi Arabia sought a more robust and high-profile card than the one initially proposed by the UFC for March 2. This decision comes after Saudi Arabia paid a $20 million venue fee, as stated by TKO chief operating officer, Mark Shapiro.
As of Monday afternoon, the UFC has not officially announced any changes to the event, and neither fighters nor teams involved had been informed about the potential rescheduling. It remains unclear whether the event, initially slated for March 2, will be moved to a different venue or rescheduled to a later date.
If the UFC event had proceeded as planned on March 2, it would have been the second of three major events taking place in Saudi Arabia in a short period of time, with a Bellator vs. PFL pay-per-view on February 24 and the Anthony Joshua vs. Francis Ngannou boxing event on March 8.
Before the postponement, the UFC Saudi Arabia lineup featured the following matchups:
- Mohammad Mokaev vs. Alex Perez
- Jairzinho Rosenstruik vs. Shamil Gadzhiev
- Eric Anders vs. Jamie Pickett
- Joel Alvarez vs. Ludovit Klein
- Javid Basharat vs. Ayeman Zahavi
- Giannis Genmoli vs. Vinicius Oliveira
- Brendon Malott vs. Mohammad Yahya
- Abdul-Kerim Al-Serwadi vs. Loic Radjabov
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