The Mac
12-21-2010, 12:59 AM
UFC president Dana White long has labeled Canada as a "mecca of a mixed martial arts," but Australia doesn't appear to be too far behind.
UFC officials today announced that tickets for the promotion's return to Australia at UFC 127 sold out in just 30 minutes, equaling a record set this past June at UFC 115 in Canada.
"UFC 127: Penn vs. Fitch" takes place Feb. 27 at Acer Arena in Sydney, Australia. The same venue also hosted the UFC's Australian debut, UFC 110, which took place this past February.
"We're ecstatic," UFC exec Marshall Zelaznik stated in today's release. "Tickets sold out literally as quickly as the Ticketek phone lines and website would allow, and that's despite us working with our partners at Acer to add an extra 600 seats to the in-arena configuration we had at UFC 110.
"We will have just over 18,000 fans in attendance at UFC 127 in nine weeks' time and expect to blow the roof off."
UFC 110 also was a rousing success with an announced attendances of 17,831. Zelaznik said the rapid sales prove how popular the sport has become Down Under.
"The UFC's popularity is exploding in Australia, even faster than we could have expected," Zelaznik stated. "Over the last 18 months, Australia has become one of the top three or four markets in the world for us. When you consider UFC programming is enjoyed by tens of millions of fans across 150 countries, that's a big statement about the passion Australian sports fans have for the UFC."
As with the UFC's first trip to Australia, the event takes place on Sunday afternoon, but due to the time change between the two countries, U.S. fans will be able to view the pay-per-view in its customary Saturday-night timeslot.
The UFC 127 lineup includes:
MAIN CARD
•Jon Fitch vs. B.J. Penn•Michael Bisping vs. Jorge Rivera
•Dennis Siver vs. George Sotiropoulos
•Chris Camozzi vs. Kyle Noke
•Carlos Condit vs. Chris Lytle
PRELIMINARY CARD
•Alexander Gustafsson vs. James Te Huna
•Tom Blackledge vs. Anthony Perosh
•Riki Fukuda vs. Nick Ring*
•Spencer Fisher vs. Ross Pearson*
•Maciej Jewtuszko vs. Curt Warburton*
UFC officials today announced that tickets for the promotion's return to Australia at UFC 127 sold out in just 30 minutes, equaling a record set this past June at UFC 115 in Canada.
"UFC 127: Penn vs. Fitch" takes place Feb. 27 at Acer Arena in Sydney, Australia. The same venue also hosted the UFC's Australian debut, UFC 110, which took place this past February.
"We're ecstatic," UFC exec Marshall Zelaznik stated in today's release. "Tickets sold out literally as quickly as the Ticketek phone lines and website would allow, and that's despite us working with our partners at Acer to add an extra 600 seats to the in-arena configuration we had at UFC 110.
"We will have just over 18,000 fans in attendance at UFC 127 in nine weeks' time and expect to blow the roof off."
UFC 110 also was a rousing success with an announced attendances of 17,831. Zelaznik said the rapid sales prove how popular the sport has become Down Under.
"The UFC's popularity is exploding in Australia, even faster than we could have expected," Zelaznik stated. "Over the last 18 months, Australia has become one of the top three or four markets in the world for us. When you consider UFC programming is enjoyed by tens of millions of fans across 150 countries, that's a big statement about the passion Australian sports fans have for the UFC."
As with the UFC's first trip to Australia, the event takes place on Sunday afternoon, but due to the time change between the two countries, U.S. fans will be able to view the pay-per-view in its customary Saturday-night timeslot.
The UFC 127 lineup includes:
MAIN CARD
•Jon Fitch vs. B.J. Penn•Michael Bisping vs. Jorge Rivera
•Dennis Siver vs. George Sotiropoulos
•Chris Camozzi vs. Kyle Noke
•Carlos Condit vs. Chris Lytle
PRELIMINARY CARD
•Alexander Gustafsson vs. James Te Huna
•Tom Blackledge vs. Anthony Perosh
•Riki Fukuda vs. Nick Ring*
•Spencer Fisher vs. Ross Pearson*
•Maciej Jewtuszko vs. Curt Warburton*