Despite U.S. news claiming a truce has been agreed to and a victory in the Middle East secured, there’s still a whole lot of bombs being dropped across the region. That will have consequences around the world as shipping routes remain closed and oil infrastructure gets destroyed … not the least on our little sport of mixed martial arts.
Despite a Pakistan-negotiated ceasefire for the entire region being announced on Tuesday night, Wednesday saw reports that Iran had bombed a pipeline that sends Saudi Arabia’s oil exports to the Red Sea. Israel continues to drop bombs on Lebanon. UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, and Bahrain were also hit by missiles and drones. The Strait of Hormuz remains closed. So to say the entire region is still a mess would be an understatement.
It’s with that happening in the background that PFL has decided to pull to plug on its MENA 9 event in Khobar, Saudi Arabia that was set for May 8th.
“PFL MENA 9 in Khobar has been postponed,” a press release from PFL read. “All announced bouts will move forward as part of the 2026 PFL MENA season opener with new event details to be announced soon. All ticket holders will receive a full refund. We appreciate your support and look forward to seeing you soon.”
PFL MENA 9 featured fighters from across the Middle East including UAE, Jordan, Bahrain, Morocco, Lebanon, and Egypt. But even the regional nature of the event could not survive the current uncertainty of the Middle East (and PFL itself).
The UFC also has plans to hold events in the Middle East and surrounding areas this summer. On the schedule already is UFC Baku in Azerbaijan on June 27th. Azerbaijan shares a border with Iran, although it hasn’t been drawn into the current conflict. There’s a reported July event in Abu Dhabi, UAE set for July. Saudi Arabia is also expected to hold a UFC event some time in 2026, just as they did in 2024 and 2025.
All of these events could be affected if the conflict in the Middle East continues to spiral out of control.