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Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) recently booked a five-round main event between undefeated middleweight phenom Khamzat Chimaev and former 185-pound titleholder Robert Whittaker, locked and loaded for the UFC Saudi Arabia fight card on Sat., June 22, 2024 at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh.

UFC CEO Dana White broke the news on social media.

Chimaev (13-0) has not seen action since capturing a majority decision victory over ex-welterweight titleholder Kamaru Usman as part of the UFC 294 pay-per-view (PPV) last fall, his lone appearance after strangling Kevin Holland at UFC 279 back in late 2022.

Something tells me the powers that be will be satisfied the second time around.

Whittaker (25-7), four years older than Chimaev at 33, is coming off a unanimous decision victory over Paulo Costa at UFC 298 last month in Anaheim. “The Reaper” is 2-2 over the last couple of years but remains ranked No. 3 in the crowded middleweight division.

Eight spots above “Borz.”

UFC Saudi Arabia will also feature the heavyweight battle between Russian bruisers Sergei Pavlovich and Alexander Volkov. Elsewhere on the card, Kelvin Gastelum takes on Daniel Rodriguez at 170 pounds while Johnny Walker collides with former light heavyweight title challenger Volkan Oezdemir. Lastly, Sharabutdin Magomedov makes his return against 205-pound slugger Ihor Potieria.

UFC Saudi Arabia will air on ABC and ESPN+ in the United States.

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MMA pioneer Antonio McKee is not encouraged by the result of the UFC antitrust lawsuit.

Earlier this month, more than 10 years of work culminated when the UFC’s parent company reached a proposed $ 335 million settlement to resolve a pair of antitrust lawsuits that threatened to change the very fabric of the sport. The news signaled a premature end to a story that had the potential to be one of the biggest of 2024, and reaction to it has been decidedly mixed, with many fighters calling the outcome an outright win for the UFC.

McKee has been involved in the fight game from both a competition and coaching standpoint since making his professional debut in 1999, and he sees things the same.

“You know what? It’s great, but they shouldn’t have settled, and it does nothing,” McKee said Wednesday on The MMA Hour.

“What’s changed? Nothing’s changed. So I basically have seen a bunch of attorneys sell out.”

For now, many questions remain unanswered regarding how the $ 335 million settlement will be divided up. The two lawsuits covered fighters who competed in UFC between 2010 and 2017 (Le et al. vs. Zuffa) and 2017 to present (Johnson vs. Zuffa), and represented an estimated total of between 1,200 to 1,400 athletes. If Judge Richard Boulware approves the settlement terms, attorneys representing the fighters are expected to ask for a portion of the $ 335 million, which could total up to around 33 percent (or more than $ 110 million). The rest will be allocated to the athletes in some capacity, although details remain up in the air.

The initial antitrust lawsuit was filed in 2014 for the purpose of combating an alleged UFC scheme “to acquire and maintain monopsony power in the market for elite professional MMA fighter services” through exclusive contracts, coercion, and acquisitions that eliminated potential competitors, among other factors. Plaintiffs spoke often over the past 10 years about their ultimate goal being to reshape the sport into a more athlete-friendly business environment.

McKee, 54, competed for a variety of promotions over the course of his 20-year athletic career, making pit stops in the UFC, Bellator, WSOF, IFL, K-1, and more.

The veteran fighter and father to former Bellator champion A.J. McKee believes the plaintiffs failed in their goals.

“The attorneys took most of that money,” McKee said. “I was in on the original lawsuit, I still have the the paperworks, and the way the percentages are split, the only person that won here was the attorneys. Smart move on to UFC to settle.”

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Dana White is hoping that his resemblance to longtime UFC commentator Joe Rogan will finally pay off.

Stopped by police while on the road, White hilariously snapped a pic of the patrol car behind him and expressed his hope that the officer on duty would mistake him for the world’s most famous podcaster.

“I hope they think I’m Joe Rogan,” White wrote on his Instagram stories.

It’s been more than 20 years since Dana White first gave Rogan an opportunity to color commentate UFC events, with their partnership beginning all the way back at UFC 37.5 in 2002. Since then, the two bald-headed bros have become multi-millionaires with White amassing a net worth of roughly half a billion dollars while Rogan recently signed a new deal with Spotify reportedly worth $ 250 million.

Dana White would rather quit the UFC than fire Joe Rogan

During a recent podcast appearance, White revealed that he had once threatened to tender his resignation from the UFC after the promotion’s parent company suggested they release Rogan from the UFC following his controversial use of racial slurs in 2022.

“Anybody who is with me, has been with me, knows,” White told Lex Fridman. “When you’re with me, you’re with me. It’s a two-way street. It’s not a one-way street. I’m not one of these guys that is gonna roll over.

“It’s like going through COVID — I wasn’t laying [off] any of these people,” he continued. “Some of these people have been with me for 20 years. We’re gonna lay ‘em off? Uh uh. This motherf*cker will burn, burn before I would do that to my people. It’s just never — none of that type of stuff is ever going to happen while I’m here. I can’t say what’s gonna happen when I leave, but when I’m here, the people who are with me and have been with me they know exactly what’s up, and Joe knows what’s up. It’s a two-way street. Joe Rogan has been very loyal to me, and I am very loyal to Joe Rogan.”

LowKickMMA.com

The UFC is going to Saudi Arabia.  For the first time the fight promotion will host an event at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh.  The event will be a ‘Fight Night’ card and is headlined by a middleweight bout between former champion Robert Whittaker and Khamzat Chimaev.  

UFC CEO Dana White made the announcement on Wednesday via social media.  “BOOOOOOM!!!!!! UFC is heading to Saudi Arabia for the first time with a BAD ASS card, headlined by @robwhittakermma vs @khamzat_chimaev,” White wrote on a video post.  

“What’s up guys?  Here with another announcement.  On Saturday, June 22, we’ll be going to Saudi Arabia,” White said in the video.  “Our fight fight in the Kingdom will be a Fight Night that will air live and free on ABC.  The main event will be former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker versus 13-0, undefeated Khamzat Chimaev to see who will be the No. 1 contender for the UFC Middleweight championship.”

White also announced the fight card’s co-main event as well as several other bouts.  

“The co-main event, the No. 3 ranked knockout artist Sergei Pavlovich versus the No. 6 ranked Alexander Volkov.  Also, Kelvin Gastelum will be taking on Daniel Rodriguez.  We’ve got Johnny Walker versus Volkan Oezdemir,” White added.  

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Khamzat Chimaev faces Robert Whittaker in a middleweight No. 1 contender’s bout to headline the inaugural UFC card in Saudi Arabia on June 22.

UFC CEO Dana White announced the main event along with four more fights booked for UFC Saudi Arabia on Wednesday night. The event airs on ABC in the United States.

In addition to Chimaev vs. Whittaker, Sergei Pavlovich returns to action against Alexander Volkov in a heavyweight co-main event.

Kelvin Gastelum also faces Daniel Rodriguez in a welterweight showdown, while Johnny Walker returns to action against Volkan Oezdemir.

The final announced Saudi Arabia fight pits Sharabutdin Magomedov — better known as Shara Bullet — against Ihor Potieria in a light heavyweight matchup.

The event marks the start of a new relationship between the UFC and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which extends the promotion’s reach in the Middle East following a longstanding partnership with Abu Dhabi as well.

The main event sees Chimaev compete for the first time since edging out former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman in a back-and-forth battle this past October. Chimaev maintains a perfect 13-0 record, including seven consecutive wins in the UFC.

He’ll face his toughest test to date when he faces a former middleweight champion in Whittaker, who is coming off an impressive victory over Paulo Costa in his last outing.

More fights are expected to be announced for UFC Saudi Arabia in the coming weeks.

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