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Dana White will continue to break new ground in MMA after announcing that the UFC will take their first trip to Saudi Arabia.

The blockbuster Middle East card will be headlined by a middleweight bout between Khamzat Chimaev and Robert Whittaker in June.

White has unveiled plans for a big UFC show in Saudi Arabia
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White has unveiled plans for a big UFC show in Saudi ArabiaCredit: Getty

UFC have been waiting to bring the promotion's first-ever card to the Kingdom, which has become the go-to location for combat sports.

Anthony Joshua has twice fought in Saudi, with Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk scheduled for later this year, while WWE, also part of the TKO Group alongside UFC, run regular shows in Riyadh.

The leading MMA promotion will now put on its first event in the Gulf State on Saturday, June 22, White confirmed on Thursday morning.

Chimaev and Whittaker will be the main attraction in a bout to determine the No. 1 contender for champion Dricus Du Plessis.

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Chimaev hasn't fought since October, where he extended his unblemished MMA record to 13-0.

'Borz' claimed a majority decision victory over former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman in a UFC middleweight title eliminator.

He is now hoping to earn the opportunity to face Du Plessis, who is currently nursing an injury, for the 185lb strap later this year.

As for Whittaker (26-7), the former middleweight champion recovered from his TKO loss to Du Plessis last year with a unanimous decision victory over Paulo Costa in February.

Chimaev overcame Usman for his 14th pro MMA win
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Chimaev overcame Usman for his 14th pro MMA winCredit: Getty
Whittaker started 2024 strongly by beating Costa
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Whittaker started 2024 strongly by beating CostaCredit: Getty

In the Saudi co-main event, a heavyweight matchup between Russian fighters Alexander Volkov and Sergei Pavlovich will be held.

‘Drago’ defeated fan favourite Tai Tuivasa at UFC 293 with a rarely-seen Ezekiel choke, while Pavlovich is looking to bounce back from an interim title defeat to Brit Tom Aspinall in November.

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UFC president White previously had to publicly quash a leaked card for their Saudi show that had Chimaev facing Israel Adesanya.

At the UFC 297 presser, White vented: "Total bull**** . That's a straight out f****** lie.

"I don't know who started it or how it started, but not one fight was announced to Saudi. Not one fight was announced to them.

"I called and asked to push the card back. Because we have a couple guys that we want on the card, and they weren't ready.

"We want to deliver, and if we're going to Saudi Arabia at the level that these guys do things, and it's a Fight Night.

"But we want to make it the best Fight Night we've ever done."

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The current UFC Saudi Arabia fight card

  • Robert Whittaker vs. Khamzat Chimaev
  • Sergei Pavlovich vs. Alexander Volkov
  • Kelvin Gastelum vs. Daniel Rodriguez
  • Volkan Oezdemir vs. Johnny Walker
  • Shara Magomedov vs. Ihor Potieria
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