Saudi advisor Turki Alalshikh hopes to see Conor McGregor competing at the promotion’s debut in Riyadh this summer.
Alalshikh, the main architect behind Saudi Arabia’s move into boxing, reportedly cut a check for $20 million expecting the UFC to deliver a premium fight card in the Middle Eastern country. However, recent reports suggested that “the powers-that-be” in Saudi Arabia were less than thrilled with the card that Dana White and Co. planned to deliver on March 2. As a result, the event has been pushed to June, giving the UFC more time to deliver something substantial.
But just how high are the Saudis aiming for their first UFC event?
During a recent interview with DAZN, Alalshikh revealed that they are pushing to have none other than Irish megastar Conor McGregor on the card.
“We are ready to have a fight with him,” Alalshikh said. “We try maybe, and we will announce it. We will do something big and I asked the UFC if there is a chance to have McGregor on this card or in the future.”
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Turki Alalshikh – Saudi’s Chairman of General Authority for Entertainment – has talked to the UFC about a fight with Conor McGregor.
“We will do something big & I’ve asked the UFC is there is a chance to have McGregor in this card or in the future.”
— Chisanga Malata (@Chisanga_Malata) January 18, 2024
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Dana White Speaks on the Postponement of UFC Saudi Card
Dana White recently called bullsh*t on the reports that the UFC was looking to deliver an APEX-worthy card inside the Kingdom’s capital.
“We moved the card, and I know there’s been a lot of talk about the card wasn’t good enough,” White told Sportsnet’s Aaron Bronsteter. “We never even proposed a card to them. We didn’t tell Saudi Arabia about one fight. So, that’s all bullsh*t.
“We never even proposed a card to them,” White explained. “What we wanted to do is, every time the UFC puts on an event, we want to blow the doors off the place. We want people to be excited. So it was our first fight ever in Saudi Arabia, and a couple of fights that we wanted to line up, they weren’t ready to go.
“So, we pushed the card back because we’re going to deliver. But never once was one fight proposed to Saudi Arabia, and they were like, ‘Yeah, no. This isn’t good enough” (h/t MMA Junkie).
Some of the highest profile fights slated for the previously scheduled March 2 date included a heavyweight clash between Jairzinho Rozenstruik and Shamil Gaziev and the return of undefeated prospect Muhammad Mokaev against Alex Perez. Hardly a fight card fans would willingly pay $80 to watch, let alone $20 million to host.