Sydney strikes deal to host three top UFC events
Last updated on: 18 May,2023 01:52 pm
A venue is yet to be announced for the first show on September 10
Sydney (AFP) – Sydney will host three Ultimate Fighting Championship events over the next four years in a major new deal, starting with UFC 293 in September.
A venue is yet to be announced for the first show on September 10 and the headline act depends on the results of upcoming fights. Sydney last hosted a UFC fight in 2017.
"We just did a deal with the NSW government that will bring three pay-per-view events to Sydney over the next four years," UFC president Dana White said. "The first will be happening on September 10 this year for UFC 293."
Australia's top mixed martial arts fighter, featherweight king Alexander Volkanovski, will defend his belt at UFC 290 in July in Las Vegas against Mexico's Yair Rodriguez. A win could set up a re-match with Russian lightweight champion Islam Makhachev, who he lost to in February at UFC 284 in a sell-out Perth.
"It would be incredible to fight in Sydney, obviously it's a quick turnaround but I've showed that I can be active, and I can definitely do it," Volkanovski told The Australian newspaper of potentially headlining the Sydney card.
Fellow Australian and former middleweight champion Rob Whittaker is also at UFC 290, against South African Dricus du Plessis in a title eliminator. The winner would likely be pitted against Nigerian champion Israel Adesanya, also a potential main event for Sydney.