The event will occur in Riyadh on June 22 and be headlined by a No. 1 contender’s match at middleweight between former champion Robert Whittaker and Khamzat Chimaev.
Whittaker is coming off an impressive victory over Paulo Costa in his last fight, his first since being defeated by the current champion Dricus Du Plessis via TKO in July 2023.The undefeated Chimaev defeated former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman via majority decision in October 2023. He has been on a collision course for a title shot since he began running roughshod through the UFC in July 2020.
The matchup pits Chimaev, one of the best grapplers in the world, against Whittaker, one of the most skilled strikers in the middleweight division. According to UFC CEO Dana White, the winner will be Du Plessis' next challenger. Du Plessis won the title via a controversial split decision over Sean Strickland in January.
The main event is a fight that could easily be the co-main on most UFC pay-per-view cards. The first UFC show in Saudi Arabia was originally planned for March, but per a press release posted byIn addition to Whittaker-Chimaev as the main event, the first UFC Saudi show will feature a top-10 heavyweight clash between Sergei Pavlovich and Alexander Volkov.
It seems this lineup satisfies the caliber of card the Saudis and the promotion wanted for the UFC's inaugural event in the country. Like most UFC events, the lineup of fights also furthers the year-long story toward championship contention in multiple divisions.
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