Dana White credits Vince McMahon for UFC landing a deal with Saudi Arabia.
UFC President Dana White and Vince McMahon are on the same side now, as they both work for TKO Group Holdings. TKO Group Holdings includes UFC and WWE, and McMahon serves as the Executive Chairman. As previously announced, UFC will hold their first show in Saudi Arabia on March 2, 2024, as part of Riyadh Season. Now, White has revealed that Vince McMahon played a major part in the deal coming together.
“It was Vince McMahon. It was 100% Vince McMahon. He made every call, he didn’t make one move without picking up the phone and calling me and getting me in the loop and seeing if I was cool with this and that. He went from being, oddly enough, I don’t know why, an enemy (of UFC’s), to being an unbelievable incredible partner,” White said of how the Saudi Deal got arranged while speaking to Sports Business Journal.
The report also noted that Turki Alalshikh, who chairs the Saudi General Entertainment Authority, was leading negotiations on the Saudi side.
WWE has been holding events in Saudi Arabia in 2014. In 2019, WWE announced that they expanded their partnership with the Saudi General Entertainment Authority through 2027, and it has since included a second annual large scale event. More information is available here. WWE most recently held WWE Crown Jewel in Riyadh on November 4.
Dama White recently claimed that Vince McMahon once prevented UFC from landing a deal with NBC. Check out his comments here.
Click here to see what Dana White had to say about his relationship with Vince McMahon.
