Dana White delighted with UFC's Saudi Arabia debut as Robert Whittaker boosts title claims

Dana White is convinced Saudi Arabia holds huge potential as a new market for the UFC after the inaugural event at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh drew 12,000 fans on Saturday.

Main card
Middleweight:
Robert Whittaker defeated Ikram Aliskerov via knockout (Round 1)
Heavyweight:
Alexander Volkov def Sergei Pavlovich via unanimous decision
Middleweight:
Kelvin Gastelum def Daniel Rodriguez via unanimous decision
Middleweight:
Shara Magomedov def Antonio Trocoli via knockout (Round 3)
Light heavyweight:
Volkan Oezdemir def Johnny Walker via knockout (Round 1)
Preliminary Card
Lightweight:
Nasrat Haqparast def Jared Gordon via split decision
Featherweight:
Felipe Lima def Muhammad Naimov via submission (Round 3)
Welterweight:
Rinat Fakhretdinov defeats Nicolas Dalby via split decision
Bantamweight:
Muin Gafurov def Kang Kyung-ho via unanimous decision
Light heavyweight:
Magomed Gadzhiyasulov def Brendson Ribeiro via majority decision
Bantamweight:
Chang Ho Lee def Xiao Long via split decision

Former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker headlined and starred on the debut UFC Fight Night in Saudi, knocking out opponent Ikram Aliskerov in the first round. Aliskerov was a late replacement for Khamzat Chimaev after the Russian-born Swedish contender withdrew with illness.

Despite the last-minute setback of Chimaev's withdrawal, the event was a resounding success and further increased Saudi Arabia's growing status as a global sports capital, particularly within combat sports. Some of the biggest boxing fights of recent years have been staged in the kingdom, including recently the historic undisputed heavyweight world title fight between Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury.

Additionally, the UFC's presence in Saudi further strengthens the