So says MMA Junkie; Sydney in Feb
http://mmajunkie.com/news/16462/ufc-considering-first-ever-event-in-australia-for-february.mma
Please God make it be true ive been good
UFC 109 - Worst Kept Secret ;)
LOL welcome to last month... :p
Apologizes for trying to generate conversation amongst like minded people in home country regarding event that did not know had been confirmed before MMA junkie news…backs out of Oz forum to look for irrelevant Brad Imes thread about his two Go Go submission victories… people who viewed the thread wake up
LOL... it is known as a Kingoplata thanks... :)
Yeah it is good news. Though there has been no official news there has been enough other news in relation to it that it pretty much confirms that we will be having the UFC in Feb.
There was even an article in Feb. There is also a thread on the UG about it as well. Still worth discussing on this forum as Aussie land is where it is happening. :)
Elvis
From the UG...
"Yoshihiro Akiyama said at a UFC press conference Tuesday in Japan that he will fight Wanderlei Silva inside the Octagon some time in early 2010, possibly in the main event of UFC 111 in Sydney, Australia.
Tony Loiseleur of Sherdog reported that Akiyama confirmed he'll fight Silva at 185 pounds, and although Akiyama said he would personally prefer to do the fight at UFC 110 in Las Vegas, my own opinion is that UFC 111 would make a lot more sense. Akiyama-Silva is tailor made to be the main event of an overseas show, and considering that Akiyama and Silva are two of the most popular fighters among MMA fans in Japan -- and that there's just a one-hour time difference between Sydney and Tokyo -- the UFC must be thinking that the Australian show will be a good one to draw in Japanese TV viewers.
UFC 111 hasn't been officially announced, but it's expected to take place in Sydney in late February. Predictably, the UFC's impending arrival has led to inaccurate, over-the-top news coverage from those who are sure MMA signals the decline of civilization. But there are plenty of people in Australia who understand MMA and are excited about seeing the UFC, and Silva vs. Akiyama would be a great fight for them to see."
So 108 is set for Vegas on Jan 2 (Evans/Silva+Belfort/Silva).
Can't see 111 working - thought it would more likely be 109/110???
At first, reading that SMH article had me rolling my eyes and thinking "Oh great... the perception of MMA here is the same as in the US...a decade ago".
But on the bright side, at least MMA is making news headlines, even if it is via innacurate journalists taking ignorant pot-shots to score ratings.
Eh. What did we expect. All that matters is the UFC Octagon landing in Sydney and having it well supported.
Oh, and for those that missed the SMH "People Fighting in Cages = End of Life as We Know It!" article we're referring to:
"Cage Rage Coming Here" from Caroline Marcus, Tom Reilly and Cameron Houston, Oct 11 2009.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/sport/cage-rage-coming-here/2009/10/10/1255019652968.html
^^^ Now that was a good read. Cheers.
Australia would be hard pressed to find a better ambassador for what still is (main stream acceptance-wise) a fledgling sport in this country.
...and now standby to have to counter about a thousand more such 'articles' between now and Feb!