Dana White's Two-Word Answer on Qatar and Saudi: "We Go. We Go."
Event: UFC 333: Volkanovski vs. Evloev — October 24, 2026, Etihad Arena, Abu Dhabi
Image credit: UFC.com
The UFC 333 post-fight press conference in Abu Dhabi was supposed to be about two title fights. It ended up being about two dates on the calendar — and one very short answer.
Asked whether the UFC's upcoming events in Qatar and Saudi Arabia will go ahead amid rising tensions in the region, UFC CEO Dana White did not hedge, delay, or leave it to a statement. [1]
"I can't tell other sporting events what to do. That's their business. We go. We go," White said, according to The Sun's report of the press conference. "When we have deal, we have a contract, we have a date, we'll be there." [1]
Then he said it again, even plainer: "When we have contracts (we honour them) We'll be there. We will be in Saudi Arabia. We will be in Saudi Arabia, we'll be in Qatar, we'll be in Abu Dhabi." [1]
The two dates in question
The Qatar card is set for November 21, and the Saudi Arabia card for December 5, per The Sun. [1] The Qatar headliner is a light-heavyweight fight between former champion Jiri Prochazka and surging contender Navajo Stirling. [1]
That is the firm part. The rest of the press conference was White in full "wait and see" mode — which, for White, still sounds like a promise.
The video above is the UFC 333 post-fight press conference, as embedded in coverage of the night. [4] It is long, it wanders, and it is worth it for the moments below — because White's shortest answers were also his loudest.
A "very unique" event, with renderings already seen
In the same press conference, White said the UFC is working on an event he described as "very unique" — and that he had already seen renderings of what it could look like before he flew to Abu Dhabi. [2]
"We're working on an event right now that will be very unique," White said. "I already started to see renderings of what we could possibly do before I flew to Abu Dhabi, and I look forward to announcing that soon." [2]
He gave no name, no venue, and no date. That is the whole tease, and it is doing exactly what teases do: fans spent the rest of the weekend trying to guess what "unique" means when it comes from a man who has already put fights on a private island.
The rumour he would not confirm
One more presser moment travelled almost as far as the "we go" line. A reporter from Saudi MMA put it to White that the rumour for Saudi Arabia is Israel Adesanya against Shara Magomedov. [3]
White did not confirm the fight. He gave no details. What he did say, per Combat Sports UK, was: "It's coming, it's happening." [3] That is not a booking announcement, and it should not be read as one — but it is also not a denial, and in White's press-conference language, that gap is where the speculation lives.
Adesanya himself, in a reaction video filmed at home watching UFC 333, said watching Alexander Volkanovski stop Movsar Evloev made him want to fight again — "Just let me bang, bro" — without naming an opponent, a date, or a venue. [3]
Why White sounded so sure of himself
Part of the confidence was the night itself. White opened the press conference by reading out Abu Dhabi records: the highest attendance for a UFC event in Abu Dhabi history, the highest gate, an arena record, four of the five top gates at the arena, and more than half the fans coming from outside the UAE. [4]
That is the backdrop to "we go." The UFC had just staged UFC 333 in Abu Dhabi on Saturday night, in the same region, with the same questions hanging over it — and White's answer, in effect, was that the show had already happened, and the next two will too.
For the rest of the Abu Dhabi fallout, see our UFC 333 fallout roundup and the UFC 333 event page. The Qatar card, headlined by Prochazka vs. Stirling, is on our Prochazka vs. Stirling event page.
Sources
1. The Sun — Dana White confirms UFC decision on cancelling Saudi Arabia and Qatar events as threat of Middle East war escalates
2. Combat Sports UK — Dana White says the UFC is working on a 'unique' event and he has already seen renderings
3. Combat Sports UK — Israel Adesanya hints at UFC return after UFC 333: 'Just let me bang, bro'
4. MMASucka — Dana White Slams Media Over UFC Card Quality Criticisms
Fight data compiled from public statistical sources (ufcstats.com) and Wikipedia (CC BY-SA). OctagonStats is an independent database, not affiliated with UFC / TKO Group.