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“They Weren’t Ready to Go” – Dana White Finally Comes Clean on Saudi Arabia Card Fiasco Rumors, Ends Controversy With Final Statement

Published 01/18/2024, 6:25 PM EST

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Dana White is not taking the UFC Saudi Arabia rumors lightly. The UFC head honcho just opened up about the issue during the UFC 297 pre-fight press conference. To take it back, in a recent turn of events, it was reported that the higher-ups in Saudi Arabia did not enjoy the UFC’s Riyadh card, thus putting the promotion in a position where the card had to be changed.

However, for Dana White, it all smelled like nonsense. He blasted the reports in his usual outspoken nature and completely dismissed that the card was rejected. In fact, he told the press that the higher-ups in Saudi Arabia didn’t even know all that much.

Dana White calls out reports as “bullsh*t”

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For Dana White, it all never really happened. He never proposed a card, it was never rejected, and in fact, it was still in a phase where things were being finalized. He noted that a few fights that the UFC wanted didn’t interest the so-called higher-ups, but that was about it.

White voiced, “Yes, we moved the card and I know there’s been a lot of talk about the card being bad enough.” White told Sportsnet. “We never even proposed the card to them. We didn’t tell Saudi Arabia about one fight. So, that’s all, can you say ‘bullsh*t’ up here? It was all bullsh*t. Bullsh*t. We never even proposed a card to them. . . So it’s our first fight ever in Saudi Arabia and a couple of fights that we wanted to line up, they weren’t ready to go, so we pushed the card back because we are going to deliver.”

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It would appear that the reports of the whole card being rejected were exaggerated to a great extent. The event was meant to be UFC Fight Night 238. It was meant to happen in Riyadh on the 2nd of March but not anymore. Now, the card’s been moved and the date is unknown.

Many have indicated doubt that Dana White is just covering up for an actually rejected card. However, it’s all speculation at this point and nothing more. Either way, a new card with a new date will probably be announced soon. Are you excited for it?

Fights on the now-postponed card

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The card that was allegedly removed had a few interesting fights on it. The big headliner was meant to be Muhammad Mokaev going up against Alex Perez in a flyweight bout. Apart from that, a potent co-main middleweight bout between Jamie Pickett and Eryk Anders too was all set to rock Riyadh off its seats.

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However, it would now appear that this card isn’t final at all. Perhaps, White could choose to move on from 238 and actually land a pay-per-view event in Riyadh instead. That would certainly help him deliver that knock-out energy event that he’d like for UFC’s first time in Saudi Arabia.

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Who would you like to see on the card? Let us know in the comments.

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Written by:

Prit Chauhan

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I'm Prit Chauhan, and I'm a UFC writer at EssentiallySports. I've been in the writing business for three years, covering areas like mass media marketing, and even tried my hand at fiction. My experience includes research work at the University of California, Berkeley, which helps me spin fact-based stories about the world of Mixed Martial Arts effortlessly.
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Edited by:

Joyita Das