It’s Turki Alashikh’s combat sports world and we’re all just living it.
Saudi Arabia’s presence in boxing has led to the sport finally getting some of the big dream matches fans have long desired along with some more obscure ones never imagined (hi, Francis Ngannou). As 2024 progresses, so does Riyadh Season’s involvement.
Alashikh announced on Twitter today (Mon., July 22, 2024) that Riyadh Season has officially struck partnership deals with notable boxing promotions, Top Rank and Golden Boy Promotions. The deals were both stated to help “elevate the sport” and will see Riyadh Season sponsor 12 Top Rank events, promoting beforehand and on fight night through 2025. Details weren’t revealed for the Golden Boy partnership but it was announced to begin with the upcoming Welterweight title event headlined by Serhii Bohachuk and Virgil Ortiz Jr. next month (Sat., Aug. 10, 2024).
In recent years, Alashikh’s main focus has been on professional wrestling through his agreement with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and boxing. In addition, Riyadh Season has formed partnerships with leading mixed martial arts (MMA) organizations, namely Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and Professional Fighters League (PFL).
Riyadh Season will become the first sponsor to take branding ownership over a UFC event when the promotion hosts its second annual Noche UFC event, taking place inside The Sphere in Las Vegas in September 2024. While the event will officially be titled “Riyadh Season Noche UFC,” the partnership’s first event took place with a fight night in Saudi Arabia last month (June 22, 2024).
In February 2024, PFL successfully held its inaugural event in Saudi Arabia, featuring a thrilling champions vs. champions theme. This marked the debut of the Bellator roster, which PFL had acquired in late 2023. Following this triumph, PFL plans to make a grand return to Saudi Arabia in September 2024 for another spectacular event.
