Back in September of last year, UFC owners William Morris Endeavor (WME) made the move to take more complete control of the world’s largest MMA promotion by buying out longtime stockholders – and Abu Dhabi government subsidiaries – Flash Entertainment. Flash purchased a 10% stake in the mixed martial arts promotion back in 2010, telling fans that they looked forward to “an exciting future ahead, working closely with our UFC partners to activate this sport in the UAE, the region, and across the world.”
And while the UFC has continually looked for avenues of international expansion over the past decade – especially in China and Russia – the hope of creating a strong MMA fanbase for the promotion in and around the UAE seems to have largely fallen by the wayside.