Dana White says UFC events in Qatar and Saudi Arabia will go ahead despite the war

Speaking after UFC 333 in Abu Dhabi, the UFC CEO said he has never felt unsafe in the region and that other sports' plans are 'their business'.

The UFC is not pulling out of the Middle East, Dana White says, with UFC Qatar set for 21 November and UFC Saudi Arabia for 5 December despite the war in the region.

White was asked after UFC 333 in Abu Dhabi, where Alexander Volkanovski kept his featherweight title, about the security situation in the Middle East and whether he had a message for other sports organisations holding events there.

"I can tell you, never have I been over here where I felt unsafe and felt that my staff were unsafe," White said. "Everything here is done so professionally."

"Every time I've come here, anywhere in the Middle East, I've had nothing but a good experience," he added.

Asked about other sports, White said: "Listen, I can't tell other sporting events what to do. That's their business. We go. We go. When we have a deal, we have a contract, we have a date, we'll be there."

TKO, the UFC's parent company, also has WWE Crown Jewel in Riyadh on 7 November. Saudi Arabia has been hit by Houthi missile and drone attacks.

Before those dates, Canelo Alvarez is due to fight Christian Mbilli in Riyadh on 31 October. There has been pressure to reschedule that fight, but Turki Alalshikh has said it will go ahead as planned.

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