It’s slowly dawning on Americans, who are so used to being the center-of-attention in fight sports, that they’re no longer in first place.
Every promoter is now chasing Oil Money the same way promoters were hustling to Texas in the early 80s. Instead of cowboy hats, now we have Crown Princes and Shiekhs calling the shots.
Last September, we wrote the article on: The one pathway for UFC, boxing, and Saudi Arabia to get married. Then, the New York Times chimed in on how Endeavor (parent of UFC & WWE through TKO) could help manage the Kingdom’s affairs.
Bottom line? It’s becoming a fact of life that Las Vegas is no longer the major fight capital of the world. They’re the capital of warehouse fights.
Instead, the gravity of Las Vegas on the world stage has been supplanted by the Gulf States. Saudi Arabia. Abu Dhabi. Qatar.
With Abu Dhabi financing Silver Lake, the fund behind Endeavor, the center of gravity for A-level fights is in the Emirates. With Saudi Arabia throwing big cash towards TKO, Endeavor’s footprint is all-in for the Middle East.
Will American fans learn to love this? Or will they quietly find something else to invest their time and money in?
This week’s edition of The MMA Draw Podcast takes a breezy but detailed look at the current state of geopolitical affairs in the Gulf States and how they are flexing their muscles in terms of buying combat sports events and what kind of matches they want to see get booked.
What do the new Powers-that-Be want to see?
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