The Ultimate Fighting Championship is returning to Abu Dhabi. On Monday, April 29, the UFC officially announced a partnership with Abu Dhabi’s Department of Culture and Tourism (DCT) that will bring an event to the United Arab Emirates for each of the next five years.
The partnership begins with UFC 242 in September 2019.
“We are making a long-term commitment to Abu Dhabi because we have had great success in that market,” UFC president Dana White said in a statement. “The demand from our fans to bring UFC back to Abu Dhabi has been overwhelming, and over the next five years, DCT Abu Dhabi will help us deliver some spectacular UFC championship fights to the UAE. I’m very excited about this partnership and what it will mean for the growth of this sport and for UFC in the region.”
UFC 242 will take place on Saturday, September 7.
While no bouts have been announced for the event at this time, it is believed that the pay-per-view will be headlined by a lightweight unification bout between undisputed titleholder Khabib Nurmagomedov and interim 155-pound titleholder Dustin Poirier.
UFC 242 will mark the promotion’s third event in Abu Dhabi, following UFC Fight Night 139 in 2014 and UFC 112 in 2010.
If UFC 242 follows in the footsteps of those events, it would be held in a temporary outdoor venue. However, UFC officials have not unveiled a location for the event at this time.
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