SYDNEY, Oct. 12 (Xinhua) -- The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) has announced its return to Perth, the capital city of Western Australia (WA), for the UFC 284 event to be held at the RAC Arena on February 12, 2023.
"Australia, we're back!" UFC President Dana White said on Tuesday. "I'm so pumped we are returning to Perth for UFC 284 - it was an amazing host city in 2018 and this February we're bringing a stacked card headlined with a championship fight."
So far, no fighters have yet been confirmed, although it's speculated the event will feature many Australian competitors.
UFC featherweight champion and local Australian Alexander Volkanovski is one likely contender. He said on social media that he hopes to defend his featherweight belt, or even fight for the lightweight title.
Volkanovski also attended the official announcement made by Peter Kloczko, vice president of UFC Australia and New Zealand, and Roger Cook, WA deputy premier and minister for tourism, at the RAC Arena on Tuesday.
"Hosting UFC at RAC Arena is expected to attract thousands of people to WA, who will patronise our local accommodation and hospitality business, and inject millions into our state's economy," said Cook.
Since 2010, UFC has presented 15 live events in Australia, including many sold-out shows. These events combined have seen over 265,000 fans in attendance and millions worldwide watching on pay-per-view and broadcast television.
The UFC 284 event was originally scheduled to occur in June 2020 but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. ■