UFC 193 takes place on 15/11 in Australia, but the day before in Brazil, due to the time difference. Photo: Reproduction
While it is unable to enter New York, the main market that still prohibits professional MMA competitions, the Ultimate Octagon is conquering new places around the planet. After the ban on the sport in the Australian state of Victoria was lifted, the Ultimate organization confirmed that UFC 193, which takes place on November 14th (Brazilian time), will take place in Melbourne, the second largest city in Oceania.
This will be the first time that Ultimate promotes an event in pay-per-view (from the numbered series) in Australia since February 2011, when UFC 127 took place, which had Jon Fitch x B.J. Penn facing each other in the main fight. Since then, the organization has returned to the country six more times, all of them for smaller events.
Melbourne is Australia's main sporting venue, and hosts – among other events – the Australian Open (one of the four biggest tennis tournaments on the planet). Last year, the executive vice-president of the UFC in Australia, New Zealand and Canada Tom Wright had already anticipated an event in the main city of Victoria and guaranteed that it would be a grand card, possibly held in a stadium and with the presence of the biggest stars of the organization – like Conor McGregor, Jon Jones ou Ronda Rousey. To date, however, no fights have been announced for UFC 193.
