UFC to hold event in Perth, Australia for first time
Perth, Australia – After years of anticipation, Australia’s west coast will welcome the Octagon® for the very first time, as UFC® 221 , presented by TAB, finds a home in Perth, Western Australia. Perth Arena will host the Pay-Per-View (PPV) event on Sunday, February 11 with a to be determined fight card featuring the best local and international mixed martial artists.
A special UFC® 221, presented by TAB, microsite – www.ufc.com/perth – launches today, providing registering fans with pre-sale access to tickets and event related information.
“I’ve always loved Australia.” UFC President Dana White said.“The fans and energy are fantastic but most importantly we seem to have some of the greatest fights there. My job is to put on the best fights in the world and this is a place that never disappoints. I look forward to our first UFC event in Perth next year and hope to entertain the fans once again.”
UFC’s first event in Perth, Western Australia is made possible by the support of the Government of Western Australia, which is sponsoring the event after recently overhauling the state’s regulation for mixed martial arts (MMA) bouts. Previously, MMA competitions in the state of Western Australia were required to be conducted in boxing rings, which were never designed for MMA competitions. UFC uses a unique octagon-shaped fenced-in enclosure, now sanctioned in Western Australia, which prevents athletes from falling out of the structure or becoming entangled in the ropes as could occur with a boxing ring.
UFC interim middleweight champion and Australia’s first ever UFC champion Robert Whittaker was on-hand for today’s announcement in Perth, adding: “This isn’t just huge news for UFC, but for the sport of MMA in Western Australia. Finally, MMA can be competed nation-wide in the field of play specifically designed for the sport.
“Anything can happen between now and Sunday, February 11. With that said, fighting on home soil is always a dream come true and I’d love to unify the UFC middleweight title here in Australia. My next stop is New York City to be Octagon side for UFC 217 – let’s see what happens in that main event between Michael Bisping and Georges St-Pierre.
Since 2010, UFC has presented 10 live events in Australia including sold out shows at Sydney’s Qudos Bank Arena, Melbourne’s Rod Laver Arena, Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Adelaide Entertainment Centre and Gold Coast Convention Centre. Australia holds the record for the largest MMA event in history, with 56,214 in attendance at UFC 193 at Melbourne’s Etihad Stadium on November 15, 2015, featuring women’s MMA pioneer Ronda Rousey. Collectively these events have seen more than 170,000 fans in attendance and millions worldwide watching on PPV and broadcast
television. The five host cities to date – Sydney, Gold Coast, Brisbane, Adelaide and Melbourne – have had a cumulative gross gate of more than $23 million and millions more in economic impact.
UFC® 221, presented by TAB, will be available in Australia live on Pay-Per-View at 11am AWDT / 2pm AEDT on UFC.TV, MAIN EVENT and Fetch. Additionally, the event will broadcast live on Pay-PerView in North America at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT on UFC.TV, iN DEMAND, DirecTV, DISH Network, Vubiquity, and in Canada on BellTV, Shaw Communications, Sasktel, Rogers and Canal Indigo for a suggested retail price of $49.99 US/CAN for Standard Definition and $59.99 US/CAN for HighDefinition.
For more information or current fight news, visit au.ufc.com. All bouts live and subject to change.
