Dana White credits Vince McMahon for UFC deal with Saudi Arabia
With WWE Crown Jewel now in the rearview, TKO Holdings is looking forward to their other company — the UFC — debuting in Saudi Arabia this March.
According to UFC CEO Dana White, that debut was possible due to past WWE Chairman and current TKO Chairman Vince McMahon.
Speaking to the Sports Business Journal on Friday, White said it was “100% Vince McMahon” that arranged the deal.
“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) to being an unbelievable, incredible partner,” he said.
Like the WWE events, the UFC show was negotiated with the Saudi General Entertainment Authority who also set up and hosted last weekend’s Tyson Fury vs. Francis Ngannou boxing match.
White has been asked frequently in recent weeks about his relationship with McMahon, revealing last week that McMahon nixed a deal in the past that would have seen UFC broadcast on both NBC and USA Network. UFC eventually signed a seven-year deal with Fox instead.
Since 2011, Josh has been a contributing editor to Wrestling Observer/F4WOnline.com and also hosts the Punch-Out podcast. He has also written for Fight Magazine, Bloody Elbow, Bleacher Report, and other websites. He's a 2000 graduate of the University of Maine, worked in pro sports, and once was an indie ring announcer.