With the Women In Sport Summit four days away, Ministry of Sport sat down with UFC Australia and New Zealand vice-president, Peter Kloczko, to learn what he and the UFC will bring to the Summit on 8 September.

Giving a summary of his topic, Klozcko said he will give attendees an understanding of the business side of UFC Australia, and will be joined by reigning UFC Featherweight Champion, Valentina Shevchenko and retired Strawweight Champion, Joanna Jedrzejczyk.

“We’ve got a Q and A with those two and I’m really looking forward to having them join me.

“I think it’s also a great opportunity for people in the audience to ask them questions, and for them to talk about their experience competing in the UFC,” he said.

Kloczko will also highlight key moments in UFC Australia’s history, including UFC 193: Rousey vs Holm, which set a record attendance for a live event.

On the UFC’s goals for women’s sport, Kloczko said developing more divisions to create more female participation is the obvious choice.

He would also like to provide more pathways for prospective athletes by showing there’s a healthy competition as well as proving it’s a worthwhile and fulfilling experience to compete in mixed-martial arts.

In addition to his keynote, Kloczko is excited to share how the UFC has progressed for female athletes, as a lot of people may not connect the dots between them and women’s sport because they’re unfamiliar with the organisation.

“I really feel like we’ve had some great moments when it comes to heralding gender equality in the UFC,” Kloczko said.

“Sharing the stories of how the UFC has contributed towards empowering female athletes, promoting them and giving them opportunities, where some of the great UFC moments have come from women’s sports.

“I’m also looking forward to sharing the business side of UFC in Australia.

“Being at the helm of that for the last few years and how we’ve been able to grow in Australia and New Zealand will be fun to share,” he told Ministry of Sport.