UFC, together with the Western Australian Government, today announced a multiyear partnership in which UFC will return to Perth with two blockbuster events starting with UFC 305 at RAC Arena on Sunday, August 18.
UFC 305 marks the third time Perth has hosted a UFC Pay-Per-View event following the success of UFC 221: Romero vs. Rockhold in February 2018, and most recently, the record-breaking UFC 284: Makhachev vs. Volkanovski in February 2023. Under the new agreement, UFC will also work closely with Tourism WA to bring one additional must-see mixed martial arts (MMA) event to Perth featuring an exciting UFC Fight Night.
"Perth, I am so excited to be coming back!" UFC CEO Dana White said. "After a record-breaking event in 2023, I can't wait to bring another massive pay-per-view to Western Australia. Perth is a world class city with some of the most passionate fight fans I've ever seen -- UFC 305 is going to be incredible!"
In February 2023, UFC 284 broke RAC Arena records for revenue and sporting event attendance. UFC 284 also broke the national arena record for the highest-grossing ticket sales of any event, which was then surpassed by UFC 293: Adesanya vs. Strickland at Sydney's Qudos Bank Arena in September.
UFC 284 delivered an estimated $42.8 million of total economic and flow-on benefits with more than 9,000 international or interstate visitors making the trip to Perth for the major event.
Helping make the announcement today at Scrappy MMA in Willetton was No.1 UFC featherweight and former champion, Alex Volkanovski; No.5 UFC welterweight and Perth's own, Jack Della Maddalena; No.10 UFC flyweight, Steve Erceg also from Western Australia; Peter Kloczko, vice president of Australia and New Zealand, UFC; the Hon. Roger Cook MLA, premier of Western Australia and the Hon. Rita Saffioti MLA, deputy premier and minister for tourism.
"The return of UFC to Perth in 2024 is a major coup for Western Australia, following the roaring success of UFC 284 that injected millions into our economy last year," said premier Roger Cook.
"UFC has proven to be a huge drawcard with a dedicated fan base, and we expect to see thousands of out-of-state visitors travel to Perth to attend this blockbuster.
"Western Australia continues to strengthen its reputation for hosting world-class sporting events, and with UFC boasting the best of the best in MMA, UFC 305 represents yet another high calibre spectacle in our events calendar."
Deputy premier and tourism minister, Rita Saffioti, said: "We are very excited to once again be hosting UFC at RAC Arena, and we expect UFC 305 to be another major success for WA's tourism and hospitality industry."
"We know that sporting fans love to come to Perth to witness a high-stakes sporting event in one of our world-class sporting venues, and the weekend of 17-18 August will be a knockout with UFC 305 at RAC Arena and the Wallabies vs. Springboks at Optus Stadium."
Peter Kloczko, UFC vice president Australia and New Zealand, added: "We are absolutely thrilled to be heading back to Perth for two exciting UFC events over the next few years. UFC in this region goes from strength to strength; from our amazing roster of talent to record-breaking events across the country, it's only getting better. I want to thank the WA Government and Tourism Western Australia for their continued support for UFC, MMA, and making UFC 305 in Perth possible."
Fighter match ups for UFC 305 will be announced at a later date.
Since 2010, UFC has presented 17 live events in Australia, including sold-out shows at Sydney's Qudos Bank Arena, Melbourne's Rod Laver Arena, Perth Arena, Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Adelaide Entertainment Centre and Gold Coast Convention Centre. Collectively, these events have seen over 325,000 fans in attendance and millions worldwide watching on PPV and broadcast television. The six host cities to date -- Sydney, Gold Coast, Brisbane, Adelaide, Melbourne and Perth -- have produced a cumulative gross gate of more than $64 million and hundreds of millions more in economic impact.
The announcement of UFC's newly forged partnership with Tourism WA follows the massive success of last month's WWE Elimination Chamber: Perth, which the WA Government, through Tourism WA, played a key role in bringing to the region. UFC and WWE, two of the world's most iconic sports and entertainment brands, were merged under TKO Group Holdings in 2023.