Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) today announced a five-year partnership with the Abu Dhabi Department of Culture and Tourism, one that will bring an annual mixed martial arts (MMA) pay-per-view (PPV) event to the capital of United Arab Emirates.
I’m pretty sure Anderson Silva won’t be invited.
“We are making a long-term commitment to Abu Dhabi because we have had great success in that market,” said UFC President Dana White. “The demand from our fans to bring UFC back to Abu Dhabi has been overwhelming, and over the next five years, DCT Abu Dhabi will help us deliver some spectacular UFC championship fights to the UAE. I’m very excited about this partnership and what it will mean for the growth of this sport and for UFC in the region.”
The partnership will commence with UFC 242 on Sept. 7.
While the fight card has yet to be revealed, the leading candidates for the five-round championship headliner are reigning lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and newly-crowned interim titleholder Dustin Poirier.
Stay tuned for more UFC 242 updates in the coming weeks.