UFC’s Fight Night event, which was originally set for March 2, is now moved to June 22, a Saudi Arabia official confirmed.
More than a week ago, it was reported that the event was postponed by the sovereign Arab Islamic state due to the unappealing card the promotion has for it. According to MMA journalist Ariel Helwani, the host wanted “a more entertaining fight card, a deeper fight card with bigger names on it.” UFC CEO Dana White, however, contradicted the claims, calling anyone behind the report “a f*cking liar.”
According to the executive, it still hadn’t shown the lineup to the host when the claims were made, adding the decision to postpone it was the company’s and not Saudi Arabia’s. White also explained that the fights the company originally wanted to have “weren’t ready to go,” resulting in the decision.
Helwani, however, fired back at White recently to make a stand in his report, saying the executive is just making a “spin” in the narrative and that it is “a bit of an ego thing.”
Now, Saudi Arabia’s Chairman of the General Authority for Entertainment, Turki Alalshikh, is confirming the move of the event to June. The announcement partially reflects White’s claim, saying it was made “to ensure the best caliber of talent will be available to participate.”
Interestingly, the March 2 event will now be held at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, featuring the same bouts confirmed in the earlier reports, suggesting that the lineup might not really be impressive enough to pass Saudi Arabia’s taste. Meanwhile, the fighters for the June 22 fight card remain unnamed, but the lineup is now expected to be huge, with White promising to “deliver.”
“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,” White said. “Every time the UFC puts on an event, we want to blow the doors of the place, we want people to be excited, so as our first fight ever in Saudi Arabia, and a couple of fights that we want to line up they weren’t ready to go, so we pushed the card back because we are going to deliver.”
