MMA Fighting has picked up on a report in The Daily Telegraph of Australia which reports that the UFC is planning a big stadium show at Etihad Stadium. The stadium holds more than 50,000 people and rumors are beginning that Jon Jones, Ronda Rousey and Conor McGregor are potential fighters on the card.
Although nothing has been confirmed, the anticipated event is for UFC 193 in November 2015. A ban on Octagon fighting is expected to be lifted in the Melbourne state of Victoria which should pave the way for the event. With the legalization of the UFC’s trademark cage, all signs point toward a stadium show in Australia.
There is the possibility that the UFC will also have a fan fest to accompany this event although this is just speculation.
The report in the Daily Telegraph includes quotes from UFC exec Tom Wright about the possibility of the event down under and MMA Fighting appears to have confirmation that an event is in the works for the country.
Payout Perspective:
With the anticipated announcement of this show, it will make it the second UFC stadium event for 2015. The UFC will visit Stockholm, Sweden in January. If the likes of Jones or Rousey appear on this Melbourne card, it would be a coup for the fans of Australia. Jones and Rousey have not appeared outside of North America to defend their titles. Obviously, the allure of this event will depend on the quality of the opponent but either one should provide some star power to an event. Will it fill a stadium?
Pink Pig says
Meh…
michael says
Is it also gonna feature the finale of “TUF India” ?
saldathief says
another miscalculation and a terrible loss. Aus is a small mma market stooges!
d says
saldaqueef knows nothing about the markets for mma. Australia is a big one which is why they focus on it.