The UFC announced that it has forged a five-year partnership with the Department of Culture and Tourism in Abu Dhabi which will bring events to the emirate. The first event of the partnership will take place on Saturday, September 7th.
Via UFC press release:
UFC will be a part of Abu Dhabi’s continually growing mega events calendar, with new festivals, sporting events and other initiatives being drawn to the emirate in part by the attractive benefits offered by the Advantage Abu Dhabi programme. Advantage Abu Dhabi provides a unique opportunity for event organisers, increasing the overall value proposition of the destination by providing an array of support services throughout the event planning cycle. The partnership with UFC is the latest to demonstrate the power of the programme in creating new business opportunities in Abu Dhabi.
UFC’s highly anticipated return to Abu Dhabi, the promotion’s first since 2014, will air live on global broadcasters around the world and on Pay-Per-View in select markets. Though the bouts are still being confirmed, the card will be headlined by at least one championship fight. Likewise, over the course of the partnership, subsequent UFC events held in Abu Dhabi will be headlined by at least one championship bout.
In addition, the UFC announced an agreement with the Abu Dhabi Media for the exclusive multimedia rights to show all UFC content in the MENA region. The partnership started with UFC 236.
Payout Perspective:
The UFC has been to Abu Dhabi twice – in 2010 for UFC 112 and UFC Fight Night 39 in 2014. However, there’s been no location for the event this September as the first two UFC events were held in makeshift outdoor venues. The new partnership looks like it will bring one of the biggest events of 2019 with the anticipated main event having Dustin Poirier fighting Khabib Nurmagomedov. The business partnership should open up new audiences for the UFC and continued expansion of the brand.
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