A ban on mixed martial arts (MMA) and cage fighitng is set to be lifted in Victoria, after Labor claimed victory in the state election.
The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) managing director in Australia, Tom Wright, is already moving to organise the first MMA fight in Melborune and has informed UFC president Dana White and co-owner Lorenzo Fertitta of the election news.
Having booked an event at Melbourne’s Etihad Stadium for November 15 next year, Writes says he’ll be contacting Daniel Andrews on the issue to get the OK to start planning.
Already he’s promised the event will include two UFC title fights with MMA superstars Jon Jones (20-1) and Ronda Rousey (10-0), both potential candidates to headline the landmark event.
Wright is due in Las Vegas next week to discuss expanding MMA and UFC in the Australian market.
If the ban is lifted, Western Australia will be the only state in the country to uphold the ban.
Currently, MMA matches are allowed to be held in Victoria and Western Australia, but can only be staged in boxing rings, not cages.
In Victoria, the talk of lifting the ban has been met with disdain from Victoria’s police chief comissioner, Ken Lay.
Mr Lay has warned that lifting the ban on cage fighting would lead to more violence in the state.
“It would be disappointing if we went down the path of glamorising this extreme violence,” he told The Age.
Before the election, Labor said the ban is costing the state in lost revenue and tourism, and said hosting MMA matches in a boxing ring was dangerous for participants.
Mr Wright expects more than 50,000 local and international MMA fans to head to the planed event at Etihad and expects it to create $50 million in revenue to the state.
Source: MMA Kanvas, The Age