Dana White told reporter Shakiel Mahjouri that the UFC is set on going to Abu Dhabi next week despite the current unrest in the middle east.
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White stated that there are no contingencies and told Mahjouri that Power Slap will hold an event in Abu Dhabi and the WWE will be in Saudi Arabia (for its Crown Jewel event).
While the unrest continues in the middle east with the United States and Iran at odds, the region is currently in upheaval. This past weekend a series of attacks by the Iran-backed Houthi militants from Yemen targeted the Saudi Arabia airport killing 13 people and injuring more than 300.
Abu Dhabi is approximately 500 miles away from Riyadh yet the unrest is real and one would thank that postponing any event at this time would make sense. Recently, a tennis tournament set for Saudi Arabia, the Six Kings Slam, set for November has been postponed until December due to the unrest.
Also of note, a week after the UFC is in Abu Dhabi, Canelo Alvarez will fight in Riyadh. He recently affirmed his desire to fight on October 31st regardless of the issues.
Payout Perspective:
Money is the only reason these events continue. If you are participating in the events, its hard to say that you would not feel safe about voluntarily being in the region amid this chaos. Moreover, there is no way the promoters should put fans in harm’s way as security could be compromised. Hopefully nothing will happen during the events.
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