NSW Premier Chris Minns has announced a multi–million dollar partnership between the state and the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), the world‘s premier mixed martial arts organisation.
The $16 million partnership will see three UFC Pay Per View events held in Sydney over the next four years, beginning with UFC 293 on September 10. Mr Minns described the deal as “a major coup for the people of NSW“ and said it would deliver on an election commitment. “We continue securing a calendar of exclusive, diverse and unmissable events to boost our visitor economy, support local businesses and create more jobs, and that‘s exactly what these UFC events will do,” he said.
It is anticipated the UFC Pay Per View events will attract tens of thousands of international and domestic tourists and inject tens of millions of dollars into the NSW visitor economy, benefiting hundreds of businesses and jobs across the NSW events sector, along with hotels, restaurants, shops and other tourism attractions.
UFC 284 hosted earlier this year in Perth saw a record 68 per cent of ticket buyers travel from interstate or overseas, injecting millions into the local economy. UFC‘s Vice President Australia and New Zealand Peter Kloczko said UFC events “are the pinnacle of sports and entertainment“.
“Nothing compares to the UFC live event experience, which we are thrilled to be bringing to Sydney over the next four years,” he said.
“UFC events have massive local appeal with fans in all parts of Australia, while remaining relevant to a global audience of millions.”
Pay Per View events are able to be viewed by more than 900 million TV households via 50 major sports broadcasters in 170 countries. There are now more than 700 million UFC fans across the globe, including a combined 233 million followers across UFC‘s social media channels. In Australia and New Zealand combined, UFC has more than 4.3 million fans and six million social media followers.
UFC‘s popularity has been soaring globally since Sydney hosted its first event, UFC 110: Nogueira vs. Velasquez at Qudos Bank Arena in 2010. The UFC 293 Main Event and Fight Card will be announced later.
NSW Premier Chris Minns said the partnership was a major coup for the people of NSW and was confident the events would provide a long–term economic benefit for the state. “I‘m sure these events will be a huge hit and will continue to build on the profile of Sydney as the number one destination for major events,” he said.
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