UFC to make a ‘splash’ back to Aussie shores

Article posted by Coliseum, October 21^st, 2022

Image: ASM Global

The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), the world’s premier mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion, announced on October 10^th its return to Australia for UFC 284 at Perth’s RAC Arena on February 12^th, 2023.

‘UFC’ stated that in partnership with the Western Australian Government, through Tourism Western Australia, this event marks UFC’s return to Perth with a Pay-Per-View (PPV) event following the success of UFC 221: ROMERO (Cuban mixed martial artist) vs. ROCKHOLD (American mixed martial artist) in February 2018 in front of a capacity crowd.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada, US. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company in the world as of 2011.

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The 15,500-capacity RAC Arena is an entertainment and sporting arena in the City Centre of Perth, Western Australia, used mostly for basketball matches. It is located on Wellington Street near the site of the former Perth Entertainment Centre, and was officially opened on November 10^th, 2012.

‘UFC’ further stated that for those who don’t want to miss a second of the action, fans can start locking in their plans and securing their tickets early as the UFC Travel Packages are now available to purchase.

The VIP Experience packages are available via On Location, the UFC’s Official VIP Experience Provider. Enjoy exclusive access with an official ticket package that can feature premium seating, VIP access to weigh-ins, exclusive pre-fight hospitality, UFC Fighter meet-and-greets, and more. For more information, visit UFCVIP.com to view package details.

This highlight on the Australian Summer calendar marks UFC’s highly anticipated return to Aussie shores since October 2019, when the global UFC attendance record was set at UFC 243: WHITTAKER (Australian-New Zealand mixed martial artist) vs. ADESANYA (Nigerian-New Zealander professional mixed martial artist) at Melbourne’s 53,359-capacity Marvel Stadium.

Said UFC President Dana White, “Australia, we’re back! I’m so pumped we are returning to Perth for UFC 284 – it was an amazing Host City in 2018 and this February we’re bringing a stacked card headlined with a championship fight. Australian fans are some of the best in the world and they’ve had to wait a long time for this. I can’t wait to put on another massive show for them. I will see you there!”

Helping make the announcement on October 10^th at the RAC Arena was UFC featherweight champion and No.1 Men’s Pound-for-Pound athlete in the world, Alex Volkanovski (Australian), Peter Kloczko, Vice-President of Australia and New Zealand, UFC, and the Hon Roger Cook, Deputy Premier and Minister for Tourism, Western Australia.

Stated Cook, “Australia has a real appetite for UFC and the event attracts spectators to Perth from across the country. The McGowan Government, through Tourism Western Australia, is proud to support the return of this event back to Perth, after the huge success of the 2018 event. Hosting UFC at the RAC Arena is expected to attract thousands of people to Western Australia, who will patronize our local accommodation and hospitality business, and inject millions into our State’s economy.”

Added Peter Kloczko, UFC Vice-President, Australia and New Zealand, “We are absolutely thrilled to finally be returning to Australia. Our athletes, fans and partners have been extremely patient to have a UFC event back on Australian soil. I want to thank the McGowan Government and Tourism Western Australia for their continued support for UFC, MMA and making UFC 284 in Perth possible.”

Since 2010, UFC has presented 15 live events in Australia, including soldout shows at Sydney’s 21,000-capacity Qudos Bank Arena, Melbourne’s 14,820-capacity Rod Laver Arena, Perth Arena, the 13,500-capacity Brisbane Entertainment Centre, the 11,300-capacity Adelaide Entertainment Centre, and the 6,000-capacity Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre. Collectively, these events have seen over 265,000 fans in attendance and millions worldwide watching on PPV and broadcast television. The six Host Cities to date – Sydney, Gold Coast, Brisbane, Adelaide, Melbourne, and Perth – have produced a cumulative gross gate of more than $45 million and hundreds of millions more in economic impact.

Information regarding media accreditation for the event will be sent out at a later date.

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