“We never even proposed a card to them…” Dana White calls ‘BULLSH*T’ on Saudi Arabia making boss calls to postpone ‘disappointing’ fight card

After rumors suggested UFC Saudi Arabia was postponed, Dana White confirms the news.

“We never even proposed a card to them…” Dana White calls ‘BULLSH*T’ on Saudi Arabia making boss calls to postpone ‘disappointing’ fight card

Dana White confirms the postponement of UFC Saudi Arabia (via IMAGO)

The UFC goes to Canada this weekend for UFC 297. As such, UFC CEO Dana White made his trip to Canada. Before the PPV duties began, he appeared on Canada’s Sportsnet for an interview and discussed the UFC’s upcoming events and future. As such, he answered the rumors about UFC’s venture to Saudi Arabia and cleared the air.

At first, Dana White mentioned the scheduled UFC Saudi Arabia card was postponed. He then addressed the rumors about the reason for its postponement. Earlier, rumors spread that Saudi officials declined the UFC’s proposed fight card, and it was the reason for its postponement. Here is what he said:

We moved the card, and I know there’s been a lot of talk about the card wasn’t good enough. We never even proposed a card to them. We didn’t tell Saudi Arabia about one fight. So, that’s all bullsh*t.
Dan White via Sportsnet.ca
YouTube video

After clarifying the rumors, Dana White affirmed he wanted to exceed the expectations in every UFC event, and Saudi Arabia wasn’t an exception. As such, a couple of fights that lined up to be part of the Saudi Arabia Fight Night didn’t work and eventually led to the deferral of the event. On that note, he confirmed UFC Saudi Arabia was still a Fight Night event, and no title would be a part of it.

FS Video

Earlier, the UFC was set to visit Saudi Arabia for the first time in March 2024. But Dana White’s recent update confirmed the shelving of the fight card. Nonetheless, the UFC had incredible events lined up for UFC this year, with UFC 297 opening its PPV account in 2024. As such, UFC 297, headlined by Sean Strickland vs. Dricus Du Plessis, goes down this weekend in Toronto, Canada.

Saudi Arabia official wants Conor McGregor to fight in UFC Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia is booming to attract many combat sports promotions to host its events there. As a starter, the spectacle of the ‘Battle of the Baddest’ of Francis Ngannou vs. Tyson Fury went down last year in Riyadh. They even constructed a whole arena to host this massive event. As such, the UFC moved to host a Fight Night Event there, but was now postponed. Now, an important Saudi official requested the UFC to bring the superstar Conor McGregor to fight in their country.

Turki Alalshikh request UFC to put Conor McGregor in UFC Saudi Arabia event
Turki Alalshikh request UFC to put Conor McGregor in the UFC Saudi Arabia event (via Instagram)

In a recent interview. Turki Alalshikh, the Chairman of the General Authority for Entertainment in Saudi Arabia, wanted Conor McGregor to fight in his country. As such, he revealed that he would make negotiations and announce if it materialized. Further, he requested the UFC to book ‘The Notorious’ to fight in the upcoming Saudi Arabia card if possible. If not, he asked them to make it possible in the future.

Although Turki Alalshikh wished Conor McGregor to be part of UFC’s outing to Saudi Arabia, only recently did ‘The Notorious’ announce his return fight in Las Vegas. He revealed that he would fight Michael Chandler in June 2024. Still, the UFC promised to deliver with their Saudi Arabia fight card.

In case you missed it: