Chimaev-Whittaker tops UFC's first Saudi event
The UFC will put on its first event in Saudi Arabia on June 22 with a card headlined by a middleweight bout between Khamzat Chimaev and Robert Whittaker, Dana White, the promotion’s president, announced Wednesday night.
The UFC Fight Night card will air for free on ABC.
Chimaev and Whittaker will fight to determine the No. 1 contender for middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis, White said.
Chimaev (13-0) hasn’t fought since he defeated former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman at UFC 294 in October.
He had pushed for a title bout with Du Plessis at UFC 300 in April, but Du Plessis injured both legs when he took the championship from Sean Strickland in their January UFC 297 fight. Du Plessis told ESPN earlier this month that he is expecting to be ready by mid-2024.
Whittaker (26-7), a former middleweight champ, is coming off a unanimous-decision win over Paulo Costa in February. It was his first fight since a TKO loss to Du Plessis in July 2023.
White announced four other fights on the Saudi Arabia card: Sergei Pavlovich vs. Alexander Volkov, Kelvin Gastelum vs. Daniel Rodriguez, Johnny Walker vs. Volkan Oezdemir and Shara Magomedov vs. Ihor Potieria.
