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UFC
110:
©
Marc Wickert All
photos copyright 2004 Zuffa LLC Ultimate
Fighting Championship’s underground legion of fans in Australia came
out in dynamic fashion this week when tickets for UFC 110 were snatched
up in the second fastest time in UFC history. Only Montreal,
Canada, sold out quicker for UFC 83 on April 19, 2008. Despite
being ignored by mainstream media in Australia up until now, the
die-hard fans of MMA have spoken with their pockets and credit cards.
In a matter of hours, 16,500 seats were purchased for the event’s
debut Down Under to be held at Acer Arena in Sydney on February 21. UFC President Dana White said: “We cannot wait to get to Sydney for UFC 110. The Aussies love their sport so, when we first bought the UFC nine years ago, we knew Australia was one of the places we needed to get to with live fights. It’s taken us a long time to get there, but we’re now on our way and we’re coming with a card featuring some of the greatest fighters in the world.”
Antonio Minotauro Nogueira Dana
White is determined to make a big impact on the Australian public and is
providing a fight card up to par with any UFC held in the US.
“We will be bringing some of the biggest names in the world to Sydney
plus be giving top Australian mixed martial artists the opportunity to
showcase their talents in front of a home crowd.” And
UFC has now released a HUGE card for its loyal Aussie fans, including
Antonio Minotauro Nogueira vs. Cain Velasquez, Wanderlei Silva vs.
Michael Bisping, George Sitiropoulos vs. Joe Stevenson, Elvis Sinosic
vs. Chris Haseman, Ben Rothwell vs. Mirko Cro Cop, and Keith Jardine vs.
Ryan Bader. Holding
the world’s biggest MMA competition Down Under will also be a knockout
for the tourist industry here, with UFC 110 being screened in more than
130 countries and territories worldwide. THE
ULTIMATE FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIP®
LANDS
IN SYDNEY UFC
110 LIVE AT THE ACER ARENA,
For
more information on the Ultimate Fighting Championship or UFC 110 visit www.UFC.com.
UFC IN AUSTRALIA
©
Marc Wickert All
photos copyright 2004 Zuffa LLC Well,
if the old adage “where there’s smoke, there’s fire” proves to
be true, then it looks like Australia’s loyal MMA fans are in for a
HUGE treat. According to rumors running wild over the internet,
the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is heading to the Acer Arena
(formerly the Sydney Superdome) at Olympic Park on February 21, 2010. Whilst
this news is all based on speculation, and UFC’s Rachel Trontel has
told Knucklepit, “I can only confirm we are planning to go there
(Australia)”, Acer Arena in Homebush, Sydney, would be the logical
facility for UFC to hold its first groundbreaking event. Completed in 1999 in time for the Sydney 2000 Olympics, the $200-million arena is situated geographically in the center of Sydney, is 14 km from the CBD, and is Australia’s largest indoor live entertainment and sporting arena, with a 21,000 seating capacity – the kind of facility that would draw UFC President Dana White’s attention.
Wanderlei Silva in action at UFC 99
Tipped
to head the bill at UFC 111 in Sydney is the spectacular Brazilian
veteran of UFC and Pride, Wanderlei Silva (32-10-1), against Japan’s
judo-based Yoshihiro Akiyama (13-1-0). But it would be almost
impossible to picture an event of this magnitude premiering without the
inclusion of local world-class star George Sotiropolous or Aussie UFC
veteran Elvis Sinosic. And after debuting in Canada, UK and
Germany, UFC has shown it does like to include high-quality local talent
in its shows. Knucklepit
caught up with some of Australia’s biggest names in the martial arts
industry to ask them their thoughts on the possibility of UFC holding
its inaugural event here. “I
am very excited that UFC is finally considering Australia as part of its
empire and our top fighters will now have the opportunity to prove
themselves and hopefully compete on the world MMA stage,” says Mick
Spinks, head coach at the Double Dragon Mixed Martial Arts Gym in
Sutherland, Sydney. “In Australia there are many great fighters,
but unfortunately because there are no big events, the good fighters
find it hard to train professionally, so bring it on, UFC. Give us
Aussies a chance: We won’t let you down.” While Bill Wakefield, Gold Coast’s head instructor at Combined Martial Arts Academy, says: “MMA is the New Revolution. UFC have created a new culture of entertainment in fighting. This is definitely a ‘must see’ event.”
Yoshihiro Akiyama at UFC 100
UFC’s
arrival in Australia has been on the cards for a long time, but MMA fans
here started watching the radar more eagerly after the UFC 84 Media
Conference in 2008(http://www.knucklepit.com/mixed-martial-arts-mma_in_australia.htm),
when Dana White openly told journalists of UFC’s plans to conquer new
frontiers: “We’re focused on Germany, the Philippines and
Australia,” said the UFC President. Ken
Twaddell, a renowned Australian instructor in MMA, Kung Fu, and Thai
boxing, says: “I think it’s great to see UFC coming Down Under. The
growth of MMA in Australia will truly benefit by the addition of the UFC
and will give MMA more opportunity, experience and exposure.
Australia has some very talented MMA competitors, and I believe UFC will
help take them to another level and get them the credit they deserve.”
Victoria’s
Mick Nicholls, head instructor at the Academy of Combative Arts, also
welcomes news of UFC’s intention to hold events in Australia: “This
is a great opportunity for all martial artists in Australia, especially
those involved in Mixed Martial Arts, in which we have many talented
competitors. This will give our fighters here in Australia a
chance for worldwide recognition and help take them to the next
level.” Stay
tuned to www.knucklepit.com
for all news updates on
Australia’s George Sotiropolous at UFC 101
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