The
Ultimate Fighting Championship will be keeping the United Arab
Emirates on its yearly schedule for the foreseeable future.
On Thursday, the promotion announced in a press release that it had
signed a deal with the Department of Culture and Tourism of Abu
Dhabi that extends to 2028. The UFC is staging UFC 294 at the
Etihad Arena on Oct. 21 as part of its current annual arrangement.
The terms have changed, however, as the UFC is planning on putting
more into the area. The specifics are currently unknown, but the
UFC will be staging Fight Night cards in future years around the
Middle East as well as some nations in North Africa.
UFC head Dana White spoke highly of the deal, writing in a
statement, “Abu Dhabi is one of my favorite places in the world;
the people, the restaurants, the hotels, it’s incredible. I have
been so excited to be able to put on some of the biggest fights in
the history of the UFC in Abu Dhabi and it’s only going to get even
bigger from here with additional Fight Nights coming to the region
next year. I love it here.”
The organization first planted its flag in the UAE in 2010, with a
pay-per-view card featuring title fights of Anderson
Silva vs. Demian Maia
and B.J.
Penn vs. Frankie
Edgar 1. The initial arrangement came about when Flash
Entertainment – a state-owned entity – purchased a stake in the
UFC. When UFC 294 goes down, the league will have helmed 18 events
in the Middle Eastern nation, with all of them on Yas Island.