Turki Alalshikh: Women to compete on the next UFC Saudi Arabia card

UFC Saudi Arabia. Photo via Instagram (@turkialalshik)

The UFC made its debut in Saudi Arabia this past Saturday with UFC on ABC 6 at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh. Despite a bunch of last minute changes, including superstar Khamzat Chimaev pulling out of the main event, the card delivered many memorable fights.

“I thank Dana (White). I am in shock,” Chairman of the General Entertainment Authority, Turki Alalshikh, said druing the UFC on ABC 6 broadcast.

No female fighter competed in Saturday’s event, but that’s something Alalshikh claimed he wants to change for the next card.

“I know the UFC here has a lot of fans, but you see now, it’s changing my mind. I don’t think there’s a lot of fans like this, 12,000 until 1 a.m., and now I am asking Dana for the next card. We want to make it 30,000 here. We are waiting, and we want women also in the next fight.”

Read more: Cage Warriors Special: Here are the six PrizeFighter contestants!

UFC Saudi Arabia in 2025

According to Alalshikh, the UFC is planning to return to Saudi Arabia in 2025 with a stacked card.

“In the first quarter (of next year),” Alalshikh said. “A big one. He (White) promised me to have a big card. Let’s see.”

Saudi Arabia has lately been accused of ”sportwashing”. According to organizations like Human Rights Watch, the country is using sports as a way to wash the government’s reputation by hosting major events that attract positive media attention.

Read more: Alex Pereira unsure about the future: “I don’t know how much longer I’m going to be fighting”

Subscribe to Frontkick.online on YouTube for the absolute best MMA and Muay Thai videos in Scandinavia, make sure to follow us on Instagram for the latest news, stories and updates and check out our sister site Maximum Sports for more exciting combat sports news in Swedish!