UFC President Dana White addressed international expansion plans during a post-event press conference in Canada, confirming an aggressive schedule in the Middle East despite ongoing regional tensions.
When asked about returning to Saudi Arabia in December amid what was described as “a lot of chaos going on,” White provided a direct update on his immediate travel plans and the organization’s commitment to the region.
“I go to Abu Dhabi on Tuesday. I have like six events in the next 30 days in Saudi, Qatar and Abu Dhabi,” White stated.
The UFC chief offered no further elaboration on the geopolitical situation or how ongoing regional conflicts might impact the planned events. His brief response indicated business as usual for the promotion’s Middle East operations, with no mention of security concerns or potential scheduling changes.
UFC bantamweight Bryce Mitchell already turned down an opportunity to compete in Qatar over safety concerns.
In September, Mitchell revealed that he had declined an offer to compete in Qatar in October describing the situation as an international conflict zone. Speaking on a podcast, Mitchell explained that although his wife’s pregnancy was a consideration his primary concern was the security situation.
“Qatar’s air force is being [ ] right now by Iran,” Mitchell said. “I go over to Qatar and then they get overrun by the Houthis. You know, they’re not going to release me and say, ‘Oh, go back to America.’”
Mitchell was unequivocal about why he ultimately rejected the opportunity.
“I turned down the Qatar match because it is a international war zone. And it’s a war that I really want to stay out of, too. You know, I dislike this war and I want world peace,” he explained.
He also distinguished the situation from his previous experience competing in Abu Dhabi, which he remembered positively.
“When I went to Abu Dhabi, I had the time of my life. But something about it now, there’s not peace in that region and I didn’t want to be over there.”
Those concerns also intersect with the financial considerations surrounding TKO Holdings’ operations in the Middle East. During the October 15 edition of Wrestling Observer Radio, journalist Dave Meltzer and Bryan Alvarez discussed WWE’s planned November 7 event in Riyadh and the business relationships connecting Saudi Arabia, WWE and the UFC.
Meltzer argued that the financial incentives involved extend well beyond the payment for any individual show. Discussing the influence of Saudi boxing powerbroker Turki Alalshikh, he said, “It’s really Turki Alalshikh’s call, because they don’t want to they don’t want him on their bad side. They want that relationship good because, you know, he’s the money behind the boxing, the Zuffa boxing.”
The discussion then turned directly to the UFC’s plans to hold an event in Abu Dhabi on October 24, roughly 600 miles from the conflict zone referenced in the conversation. According to Meltzer, the promotion was not planning to back away from the event despite the security concerns being discussed.
“Dana White is very clear that we’re going, nothing’s going to stop us from going,” Meltzer reported.
Meltzer also contrasted the situation with a tennis tournament in Riyadh that had been postponed until late December. Discussing the players’ ability to make their own decisions about traveling, he noted that the six tennis players involved “had the power to say, ‘Yeah, you know, we’re not we don’t feel like coming right now.’”
He suggested that WWE performers might not have the same freedom to voice concerns. “Not one wrestler said a word, which doesn’t surprise me because if they did, there’d be repercussions,” Meltzer said.
