The UFC’s highly anticipated return to the Middle East will have to wait. The promotion’s planned March 2nd event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, has been officially postponed, with a new date set for June 22nd.
🚨OFFICIAL🚨
The UFC’s debut event in Saudi Arabia – which was due to take place on March 2 – will now take place on June 22.
Dana White says: “This is just going to be a type of card that we’ve never done before.
“It’s going to be: every fight is a must see fight.” pic.twitter.com/quA0bE7JzI
— Chisanga Malata (@Chisanga_Malata) January 24, 2024
The news comes as a surprise to many fans, as the UFC had been aggressively promoting the Riyadh card as the UFC would be making its debut in Saudi Arabia.
Reasons for the Postponement
While the UFC hasn’t officially disclosed the reason for the postponement, industry insiders suggest that the promotion was unable to “stack the card” with the talent they had initially hoped for.
With several high-profile fighters already booked for other events in the coming months, the UFC was reportedly struggling to fill out the remaining slots on the Riyadh card with marquee matchups.
“It’s no secret that the UFC was aiming for a big-time event in Saudi Arabia,” a source close to the promotion told MMA Junkie. “They wanted a card with multiple title fights and top-ranked contenders. But with the way the schedule has shaken out, it just wasn’t possible to make that happen in March.”
New Date, New Possibilities
The June 22nd date gives the UFC more time to work on the Riyadh card and potentially secure some of the bigger names they were targeting.
“The new date opens up a lot of possibilities,” the source said. “The UFC could potentially move some of the big fights they were planning for March to June, or they could even use the Riyadh card as a springboard for International Fight Week. It’s going to be a big event, no matter what.”
What This Means for Fighters and Fans
The postponement of the Riyadh event is sure to have a ripple effect on the UFC’s 2024 schedule. Fighters who were expected to compete in March will now have to fight at the UFC Apex or wait until June, while the promotion will need to find new opponents for some of the athletes who were already booked for that date.
For fans, the news is a mixed bag. On the one hand, it means that they’ll have to wait longer to see the UFC return to the Middle East. On the other hand, the new date could lead to an even bigger and better event.
Ultimately, only time will tell how the UFC’s Riyadh card shakes out. But one thing is for sure: fight fans around the world will be eagerly awaiting its arrival.
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