The State Government has secured an Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) event for Perth, expected to attract thousands of fans to Western Australia and inject more than $7 million into the economy.
The deal was made possible after the McGowan Government, in June, lifted a ban on combat sports such as mixed martial arts (MMA) being held in purpose-built, fenced-in enclosures such as the UFC’s Octagon.
The Pay-Per-View event – the top tier of UFC events – will take place on February 11, 2018 at Perth Arena, with a fight card featuring the best local and international mixed martial artists.
The event will be watched by a global Pay-Per-View audience of more than 15 million, with the broadcast available in all of Tourism WA’s markets.
Tourism WA will work with UFC to ensure Perth and WA are featured throughout the broadcast.
The bout is an exclusive for Perth. Named UFC 221, this title fight will be the 221st UFC Pay- Per-View event ever staged and only the fourth to be held in Australia. Of the 13 top UFC events held each year, only two are typically staged outside of North America.