According to Dana White, UFC’s recent deal with Saudi Arabia was Vince McMahon‘s doing.
Vince McMahon is the Executive Chairman of TKO Group Holdings, the company that was formed following WWE’s merger with UFC. On March 2, 2024, UFC will hold their first show in Saudi Arabia.
Speaking with Sports Business Journal, Dana White made it clear that Vince McMahon was instrumental in the two sides coming together.
“It was Vince McMahon. It was 100% Vince McMahon,” Dana White said regarding the deal getting arranged. He made every call, he didn’t make one move without picking up the phone and calling me and getting me in the loop and seeing if I was cool with this and that. And he went from being, oddly enough, I don’t know why, an enemy (of UFC’s), to being an unbelievable incredible partner.”
WWE has been holding events in Saudi Arabia since 2014. The company has led two premium live events in Saudi Arabia every year since 2019, aside from 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dana White previously called Vince McMahon the Michael Jordan of the business world. Check out his comments here.
White has said that McMahon led to a UFC television deal with NBC getting nixed. Click here to see what he had to say.
