Dana White and Turki Alalshikh have different opinions about the fight against martial arts piracy

LAS VEGAS – Dana White and her business partner Turki Alalshikh seem to have different opinions when it comes to combating the illegal streaming of pay-per-view events.

Alalshikh, chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority, argues that lowering prices for pay-per-view boxing broadcasts would help increase the fan base and deter people from pirating events.

Alalshikh said he intends to stage the undisputed light heavyweight title fight between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol on October 12 “for £15 in the UK and $15 worldwide.” Anthony Joshua vs. Daniel Dubois currently costs £19.95 for UK fans.

“My dream is to have a pay-per-view at a good price,” Alalshikh told talkSPORT. “To make the fans happy and get them to sign up and watch legally. If I see the pay-per-view price is high, a lot of people will watch the fight illegally and that’s not healthy for boxing or the platform. I will try to make the Riyadh season card so that our show is less than £20 in England and less than $20 worldwide.”

When asked about Alalshikh’s suggestion, White did not comment directly on it, but instead boasted about the UFC’s ability to identify and take action against illegal streamers.

“Trust me: We know exactly how to fight piracy,” White told MMA Junkie and other reporters at the Dana White Contender Series 70 post-fight press conference on Tuesday. “I’m not going to tell you in detail what we do at every event, but we crack down on piracy. You saw a couple of years ago that we started prosecuting people. That’s how you fight piracy: You start f***ing prosecuting people for theft. That’s how it’s done.”

White and the UFC made their debut in Saudi Arabia last June with a UFC Fight Night that aired on ABC and streamed in the U.S. on ESPN+.