Riyadh Season, the annual state-funded entertainment and sports festival, has become a hotbed for sporting events, especially combat sports. With Turki Alalshikh at the helm, the six-month season has expanded to a year-long affair. Moreover, the Saudis have begun plans to conduct events outside the Kingdom, with Dana White’s UFC Noche being the latest.
UFC 306 Rebraned as Riyadh Season Noche UFC
The UFC recently announced Riyadh Season as the title partner for the UFC 306 PPV at the Las Vegas Sphere. The promotion has never given a title partner status to a sponsor. With the rebranding, UFC 306 is now Riyadh Season Noche UFC. Dana White and Turki Alalshikh had earlier revealed the partnership news during White’s visit to Riyadh for UFC Saudi Arabia.
“We’re thrilled that Turki Alalshikh and the Saudi General Entertainment Authority have stepped up to partner with us to make this the greatest event in the history of combat sports,” said Dana White of what he believes will be one of the biggest sporting events ever. “This will be a milestone moment as it will be the first sporting event to take place at Sphere in Las Vegas,” said Alalshikh.
Before Noche UFC, Riyadh Season will announce its presence at Wembley with the IBF heavyweight title fight between Daniel Dubois and Anthony Joshua on September 21, a week after UFC Noche. Oleksandr Usyk vacated his IBF title to let his former foes fight for it.
Nonetheless, Riyadh Season’s first event outside the Kingdom will be in Los Angeles on August 3 for the WBA light-middleweight title fight between champion Ismail Madrimov and Terence Crawford, one of the pound-for-pound best, who will be moving up a weight class.
