UFC Saudi Arabia fight card announced with Robert Whittaker vs. Khamzat Chimaev headliner

The UFC will debut in Saudi Arabia this summer, and it’s bringing a major middleweight headliner with it.

Former champion Robert Whittaker will take on Khamzat Chimaev in a five-round main event on June 22, UFC CEO Dana White announced Thursday.

White added the bout’s winner will earn a crack at title gold and announced the main card will air on ABC.

Other fights on the card include Sergei Pavlovich vs. Alexander Volkov, Kelvin Gastelum vs. Daniel Rodriguez, Volkan Oezdemir vs. Johnny Walker, Shara Magomedov vs. Ihor Potieria.

Whittaker (25-7 MMA, 16-5 UFC), No. 4 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie middleweight rankings, looks to continue the momentum from a unanimous decision victory over Paulo Costa in February. The win was his second in three fights and bounced him back into the win column after a loss to Dricus Du Plessis.

Chimaev (13-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) returns for the first time since September 2022, when he defeated former UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman by majority decision. The No. 8 middleweight’s other UFC victories include Gilbert Burns and Kevin Holland among others.

The current UFC Saudi Arabia lineup includes:

• Robert Whittaker vs. Khamzat Khimaev

• Sergei Pavlovich vs. Alexander Volkov

• Kelvin Gastelum vs. Daniel Rodriguez

• Volkan Oezdemir vs. Johnny Walker

• Shara Magomedov vs. Ihor Potieria

Story originally appeared on MMA Junkie