UFC, Abu Dhabi Tourism Board Lock Down Partnership for 5 More Years

The Ultimate Fighting Championship will be keeping the United Arab Emirates on its yearly schedule for the foreseeable future.

On Thursday, the promotion announced in a press release that it had signed a deal with the Department of Culture and Tourism of Abu Dhabi that extends to 2028. The UFC is staging UFC 294 at the Etihad Arena on Oct. 21 as part of its current annual arrangement. The terms have changed, however, as the UFC is planning on putting more into the area. The specifics are currently unknown, but the UFC will be staging Fight Night cards in future years around the Middle East as well as some nations in North Africa.

UFC head Dana White spoke highly of the deal, writing in a statement, “Abu Dhabi is one of my favorite places in the world; the people, the restaurants, the hotels, it’s incredible. I have been so excited to be able to put on some of the biggest fights in the history of the UFC in Abu Dhabi and it’s only going to get even bigger from here with additional Fight Nights coming to the region next year. I love it here.”

The organization first planted its flag in the UAE in 2010, with a pay-per-view card featuring title fights of Anderson Silva vs. Demian Maia and B.J. Penn vs. Frankie Edgar 1. The initial arrangement came about when Flash Entertainment – a state-owned entity – purchased a stake in the UFC. When UFC 294 goes down, the league will have helmed 18 events in the Middle Eastern nation, with all of them on Yas Island.