Turki Alalshikh, the chairman of Saudi Arabia's General Entertainment Authority, is cooking up a plan that'll shake up the world of combat sports. He wants to put together a mega event that'll have boxing, WWE, and UFC all on the same card in Saudi Arabia.
This isn't just any old fight night. It's a whole new ballgame that could happen later this year or in 2026. Alalshikh's already got 'Canelo' Saul Alvarez on board and he's working with TKO Group Holdings, the big guns who own both UFC and WWE, to make it happen.
Saudi Arabia's not messing around. They're going all in to become the place to be for big-time sports events. It's all part of their Vision 2030 plan to mix things up and offer more entertainment options.
But that's not all. Alalshikh's teaming up with Dana White to create a new boxing league under the TKO banner. They're looking to shake things up with a better championship setup, one title system for all, and maybe even change how weight classes work.
These kind of mashup events are getting more and more popular. People love seeing different sports, music, and culture all in one place. It's like a buffet of entertainment.
Billi Bhatti, talking on The Wrestling Informer podcast, said:
"It's possible that this event will replace WWE's traditional Crown Jewel, transforming it into a combined WWE, UFC and boxing show, if they manage to have everything ready for November."
Some folks aren't too happy about all this, though. They're worried Saudi Arabia's using sports to clean up its image and sweep human rights issues under the rug. It's got people wondering what'll happen to the boxing promoters and rule makers we've got now.
But fans? They're pumped about seeing all these different fights in one place. It's a whole new world for combat sports, and it could set the bar for future events. We'll have to wait and see how it all pans out.
