In recent years, Gulf State monarchies have shown a growing interest in the proliferation of sports in their respective kingdoms. Wealthy sheikhs in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Kuwait, Qatar, and Bahrain, have invested in various competitions, including the highly controversial 2022 World Cup - marred by reports of slave labour - and the Formula 1 Grand Prix. Beyond these well-established and prestigious global sporting events, various ruling Houses in the Gulf have also fancied themselves as patrons of combat sports.
Since 1998, Arab monarchs have invested in combat sports largely ignored by their peers in the international community.