With war in the Middle East growing hotter by the day, a lot of event organizers are having to decide whether they can safely move forward with plans they’ve made for shows in the region. Saudi Arabgia’s Future Investment Initiative, also known as “Davos in the Desert,” was recently postponed until next year, and there’s growing pressure for a Canelo Alvarez boxing match in Riyadh over Halloween weekend to be rescheduled.
One company that’s not considering a delay or shift in venue is TKO, parent company of UFC and WWE. UFC 333 just went down in Abu Dhabi, UAE over the weekend. WWE’s Crown Jewel is set to happen in Riyadh on November 7th. There’s UFC Qatar on November 21st, followed by UFC Saudi Arabia on December 5th. All these events are moving forward, according to UFC CEO Dana White.
Following UFC 333, White was asked about the security situation in the Middle East and whether he had any message to share with other sports organizations that might be holding events in the region.
“I can tell you, never have I been over here where I felt unsafe and felt that my staff were unsafe,” White said. “Everything here is done so professionally. During COVID, we had the only real bubble that existed in the world, not just here, but in the world. You know, when you watch the news, the news is so full of shit. Every time I’ve come here, anywhere in the Middle East, I’ve had nothing but a good experience.”
“Listen, I can’t tell other sporting events what to do,” White continued. “That’s their business. We go. We go. When we have a deal, we have a contract, we have a date, we’ll be there.”
White’s resolve may be tested on this as Houthis continue to attack sites in Saudi Arabia with missiles, bombs, and drone strikes. King Khalid International Airport has been hit multiple times and has been labeled a legitimate target by the Houthi military.
As if that wasn’t serious enough, reports from major news organizations have the Trump administration preparing to ‘escalate’ their war with Iran following the U.S. midterm elections on November 3rd. Saudi Arabia and Qatar have both been attacked by Iran in the past over their support of the U.S. during this ongoing conflict.
The first big reality check comes as Canelo Alvarez fights Christian Mbilli on October 31st in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Saudi boxing power broker Turki Alalshikh has said Alvarez fears nothing and the fight will go ahead as planned. We’ll see how things change if attacks continue through the week.
