UFC’s Fight Night event in March in Saudi Arabia was postponed, and PFL Chairman Donn Davis is not surprised about this. According to the executive, while the rival is capable of putting up an appealing card each time, it is something that it does not “often” do.
The news was first shared this week by MMA journalist Ariel Helwani, claiming the sovereign Arab Islamic state is not satisfied with the lineup the promotion has for its show. For the journalist, the move is unsurprising for Saudi Arabia, given that what the UFC is offering is just a Fight Night event. And given that other promotions (Bellator vs. PFL PPV and the Anthony Joshua vs. Francis Ngannou boxing event) are also bringing high-profile events into the place this year, it is unsurprising that UFC’s card appears less appealing.
Davis supports the sentiment.
“I don’t think it’s any coincidence that the UFC March 2 card was canceled the day before our fight [announcement],” Davis said on The MMA Hour. “Those who know MMA said, ‘That is not a mega-event. That is not worthy of being hosted in Saudi Arabia. That is a poor fight-quality card the UFC put forth on March 2.’”
Despite this, Davis didn’t deny UFC’s capability of creating a powerful card that would pass the taste of Saudi Arabia. Yet, as he pointed out, it has a different approach from PFL.
“Could UFC load up a card and have a mega-card? They could!” Davis said. “Do they do it that often? They don’t. We’re going to do it every time we do it, and so our partners who are host partners, like Saudi Arabia — our partners who are PPV partners like DAZN or ESPN+, they know they can count on us for these two fights a year, best of the best of the best. That’s how we’re thinking about it in terms of the business model going forward.”
