Former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker will headline UFC Saudi Arabia. Getty
Former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker will headline UFC Saudi Arabia. Getty
Former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker will headline UFC Saudi Arabia. Getty
Former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker will headline UFC Saudi Arabia. Getty

Whittaker v Aliskerov: All you need to know about UFC Saudi Arabia in Riyadh


Amith Passela
  • English
  • Arabic

Saudi Arabia has quickly become the new boxing capital of the world, and now MMA is heading to the kingdom for the UFC's debut appearance in Riyadh. Here is everything you need to know about UFC Saudi Arabia.

What is it?

UFC Saudi Arabia is a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), the largest MMA promotion in the world. It will feature a total of 12 fights, including five on the main card and seven on the preliminaries. It will be the first time the UFC has hosted an event in Saudi Arabia.

Where is it?

The UFC Saudi Arabia takes place at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh. It's the same venue that's hosted several major boxing fights, including most recently, the undisputed heavyweight world title fight between Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury.

When is it?

On Saturday, June 22, with the event set to start at 11pm local time (midnight UAE).

Who’s fighting?

The event was originally set to be headlined by Khamzat Chimaev against former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker. However, Dubai-based Chimaev was forced to pull out of the bout last week due to "persistent illness".

Australian Whittaker will not face Ikram Aliskerov of Russia.

Whittaker, 33, holds a 25-7 (win/loss) record as a professional. He faces Aliskerov, whose only defeat in 16 fights came against Chimaev at Brave CF 21 in April 2019. Since then, he’s undefeated in seven fights, including his last two appearances in the UFC.

Other prominent bouts include an all-Russian clash at heavyweight between Sergei Pavlovich (18-2) and Alexander Volkov (37-10), and an all-American welterweight contest between Kelvin Gastelum (18-9) and Daniel Rodriguez (17-4).

UFC Saudi Arabia fight card

Main card

Middleweight: Robert Whittaker v Ikram Aliskerov

Heavyweight: Sergei Pavlovich v Alexander Volkov

Welterweight: Kelvin Gastelum v Daniel Rodriguez

Featherweight: Muhammad Naimov v Melsik Baghdasaryan

Lightweight: Johnny Walker v Volkan Oezdemir

Preliminary Card

Middleweight: Shara Magomedov v Joilton Lutterbach

Lightweight: Nasrat Haqparast v Jared Gordon

Welterweight: Rinat Fakhretdinov v Nicolas Dalby

Bantamweight: Kyung Ho Kang v Muin Gafurov

Light heavyweight: Magomed Gadzhiyasulov v Brendson Ribeiro

Middleweight: Abu Azaitar v Denis Tiuluilin

Bantamweight: Xiao Long v Chang Ho Lee

How to watch UFC Saudi Arabia

UFC Saudi Arabia is available in the UAE via StarzPlay, the UFC’s exclusive broadcast partner in the Middle East.

On Instagram: @WithHopeUAE

Although social media can be harmful to our mental health, paradoxically, one of the antidotes comes with the many social-media accounts devoted to normalising mental-health struggles. With Hope UAE is one of them.
The group, which has about 3,600 followers, was started three years ago by five Emirati women to address the stigma surrounding the subject. Via Instagram, the group recently began featuring personal accounts by Emiratis. The posts are written under the hashtag #mymindmatters, along with a black-and-white photo of the subject holding the group’s signature red balloon.
“Depression is ugly,” says one of the users, Amani. “It paints everything around me and everything in me.”
Saaed, meanwhile, faces the daunting task of caring for four family members with psychological disorders. “I’ve had no support and no resources here to help me,” he says. “It has been, and still is, a one-man battle against the demons of fractured minds.”
In addition to With Hope UAE’s frank social-media presence, the group holds talks and workshops in Dubai. “Change takes time,” Reem Al Ali, vice chairman and a founding member of With Hope UAE, told The National earlier this year. “It won’t happen overnight, and it will take persistent and passionate people to bring about this change.”

Chelsea 2 Burnley 3
Chelsea
 Morata (69'), Luiz (88')
Burnley Vokes (24', 43'), Ward (39')
Red cards Cahill, Fabregas (Chelsea)

Fixtures and results:

Wed, Aug 29:

  • Malaysia bt Hong Kong by 3 wickets
  • Oman bt Nepal by 7 wickets
  • UAE bt Singapore by 215 runs

Thu, Aug 30: UAE v Nepal; Hong Kong v Singapore; Malaysia v Oman

Sat, Sep 1: UAE v Hong Kong; Oman v Singapore; Malaysia v Nepal

Sun, Sep 2: Hong Kong v Oman; Malaysia v UAE; Nepal v Singapore

Tue, Sep 4: Malaysia v Singapore; UAE v Oman; Nepal v Hong Kong

Thu, Sep 6: Final

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• Rikki Olds, 25
• Tralona Bartkowiak, 49
• Suzanne Fountain, 59
• Teri Leiker, 51
• Eric Talley, 51
• Kevin Mahoney, 61
• Lynn Murray, 62
• Jody Waters, 65

Dubai works towards better air quality by 2021

Dubai is on a mission to record good air quality for 90 per cent of the year – up from 86 per cent annually today – by 2021.

The municipality plans to have seven mobile air-monitoring stations by 2020 to capture more accurate data in hourly and daily trends of pollution.

These will be on the Palm Jumeirah, Al Qusais, Muhaisnah, Rashidiyah, Al Wasl, Al Quoz and Dubai Investment Park.

“It will allow real-time responding for emergency cases,” said Khaldoon Al Daraji, first environment safety officer at the municipality.

“We’re in a good position except for the cases that are out of our hands, such as sandstorms.

“Sandstorms are our main concern because the UAE is just a receiver.

“The hotspots are Iran, Saudi Arabia and southern Iraq, but we’re working hard with the region to reduce the cycle of sandstorm generation.”

Mr Al Daraji said monitoring as it stood covered 47 per cent of Dubai.

There are 12 fixed stations in the emirate, but Dubai also receives information from monitors belonging to other entities.

“There are 25 stations in total,” Mr Al Daraji said.

“We added new technology and equipment used for the first time for the detection of heavy metals.

“A hundred parameters can be detected but we want to expand it to make sure that the data captured can allow a baseline study in some areas to ensure they are well positioned.”

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Updated: June 19, 2024, 7:47 AM`