UFC secured for Sydney, coup for NSW tourism and events economy

The first event under the new agreement will be held this year when UFC 293 takes centre stage on Sunday 10 September.

NSW Premier Chris Minns and Minister for Sport Stephen Kamper will today join UFC Vice President Australia & New Zealand Peter Kloczko to announce the significant partnership, which will see 3 UFC pay per view events take place in Sydney over the next 4 years.

It is anticipated that the UFC pay per view events will attract tens of thousands of international and domestic tourists, injecting tens of millions of dollars into the NSW visitor economy.

The partnership will support hundreds of businesses and jobs across the NSW events sector, along with hotels, restaurants, shops and other tourism attractions.

The 3 flagship UFC events will bring the most competitive mixed martial arts athletes in the world to Sydney, showcasing the Harbour City to millions of international viewers, event attendees and visitors, further strengthening Sydney’s position as a tourism and events capital of the Asia-Pacific.

UFC 293 will mark the franchise’s return to Sydney for the first time since 2017 and will be the first mega pay per view event to be held in the city since 2011.

UFC 284 hosted earlier this year in Perth saw a record 68% of ticket buyers travel interstate or from overseas, injecting millions into the local economy.

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 6 million social media followers.

UFC’s popularity has been soaring globally since Sydney hosted its first event, UFC 110: Nogueira versus Velasquez, at Qudos Bank Arena (then Acer Arena) in 2010.

The UFC 293 main event and fight card will be announced at a later date.

This announcement help position Sydney as the home of UFC in Australia, while generating significant economic benefits to NSW.

NSW Premier Chris Minns said:

“Today the NSW Government has delivered on another election commitment.

“We are bringing 3 major UFC events to Sydney for the first time in more than a decade, which is a major coup for the people of NSW.

“This government has a laser-sharp focus to ensure 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.”

NSW Minister for Jobs and Tourism John Graham said:

“With these 3 UFC events anticipated to inject tens of millions of dollars into local hotels, restaurants, shops and attractions, today’s announcement is a reminder of the importance of investing in world-class events and yet another incredible addition to Sydney’s unrivalled events calendar.”

NSW Minister for Sport Steve Kamper said:

“We couldn’t be more excited to be partnering with the UFC team to help bring these blockbuster events to life.

“Our state has demonstrated its capability to draw record-breaking crowds to NSW and now with some of the world’s best in mixed martial arts competing right here in Sydney, these events are guaranteed to attract thousands of UFC fans not only from across the country, but from across the globe.”

UFC 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. UFC events have massive local appeal with fans in all parts of Australia, while remaining relevant to a global audience of millions.

“Our events drive strong economic outcomes through industry-high visitation and marketing value by showcasing host cities to millions of engaged fans worldwide. UFC 284 hosted earlier this year in Western Australia saw a record 68% of ticket buyers travel interstate or from overseas, injecting millions into the local economy.”