UFC 127

Res Publica recently hosted a press conference on behalf of the Ultimate Fighting Championship organisation to announce its return to Australia in 2011. During the event, attended by leading sports and news media, Marshall Zelaznik, UFC MD of International Development, announced that the world’s leading combat sport will revisit Sydney’s Acer Arena on 27^th February for UFC 127: PENN v FITCH. 

Returning to the Harbour City almost 12 months to the date of the record-breaking UFC 110 at the same venue, all 18,000 tickets to UFC 127 sold out within 30 minutes, equalling the company record set by UFC 115 in Vancouver, Canada.

The UFC’s previous incursion into Sydney – in February 2010 – set box office records at Acer Arena, and sold out within two hours. UFC 110 remains the fourth fastest UFC sellout ever, meaning two of the top five best selling UFC events have been hosted by in Australia.

Headlining UFC 127 will be a bout between former two-division UFC champion BJ Penn and highly-respected welterweight contender Jon Fitch. Major bout information and ticket availability were announced at the press conference, and BJ Penn and Jon Fitch were present at the announcement along with Australian fighters George Sotiropoulos, Kyle Noke, James Te Huna, and Anthony Perosh.

The press conference resulted in significant national coverage on programs such as Network Ten’s Sports Tonight, ESPN and Fox Sports as well as print coverage in The Daily Telegraph, Sydney Morning Herald, Herald Sun, Cumberland Newspapers and mX. The UFC also received wide-spread online and radio coverage.