Turki Alalshikh, the chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority, recently announced the signing of a “strategic agreement” between Riyadh Season and the UFC, further solidifying their partnership. This new agreement includes plans to host a major UFC event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia at the end of 2024 or the beginning of 2025. Alalshikh emphasized that this upcoming event will be significantly larger in scale compared to the UFC’s previous event in the country, which featured a middleweight bout between Robert Whittaker and Khamzat Chimaev.
Riyadh Season’s Sponsorship of UFC 306 and TKO’s Merger with WWE
In addition to the collaboration with UFC, Riyadh Season, an annual state-managed sports and entertainment festival, will be sponsoring UFC 306 on September 14. This event will mark the MMA promotion’s first event at The Sphere in Las Vegas, with Riyadh Season branding and signage prominently featured. Alalshikh highlighted the significance of this partnership as a strong message to the market, signaling the country’s commitment to becoming a major hub for MMA events.
Last year, UFC and WWE merged to form TKO, a publicly traded company. WWE has been holding premium live events in Saudi Arabia since 2018, with an increasing presence in the region. Following the Tyson Fury-Oleksandr Usyk boxing match in Riyadh, WWE is set to host King and Queen of the Ring in Jeddah on May 25. Alalshikh mentioned an upcoming announcement regarding an enhancement to Saudi Arabia’s existing agreement with WWE, hinting at the possibility of hosting iconic events like Royal Rumble or WrestleMania in the country.
Expanding Entertainment Offerings: Riyadh Season’s Collaboration with UFC, TKO, and Boxers
Alalshikh’s vision for Riyadh Season also includes hosting Dana White’s Power Slap events in the near future. Furthermore, the chairman revealed plans for a Riyadh Season boxing event on August 3, featuring the Terence Crawford-Israil Madrimov junior middleweight title fight in Los Angeles. This event will mark the Kingdom’s first boxing event held outside Saudi Arabia, demonstrating the country’s commitment to diversifying its entertainment offerings.
Saudi Arabia’s partnerships with global sports and entertainment entities like UFC, WWE, and TKO represent a significant step towards transforming Riyadh into a major destination for international events. By leveraging its resources and strategic collaborations, Saudi Arabia is poised to become a prominent player in the global entertainment industry.
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