After rumors that UFC 243 would take place in Las Vegas, it was revealed the card will take place in the 60,000-seat Marvel Stadium in Melbourne, Australia. Where it belongs.
The promotion officially revealed the location of UFC 243 today.
There were concerns over the event’s location due to it being scheduled on the same day as Sydney’s National Rugby League final, which is a massive event itself. However, it would be wrong to have this card anywhere other than Australia, considering the main event is between New Zealand-born Australian Robert Whittaker, and New Zealand’s own Israel Adesanya. With that being said, the promotion expects UFC 243 to sell out the 60,000-seat Marvel Stadium come fight night.
This will be the second event the UFC has held in the stadium, the other being UFC 193 headlined by Ronda Rousey and Holly Holm (it was named Etihad Stadium at the time). That card broke the attendance record for the promotion with over 56,000 fans in attendance to see one of the biggest upsets in MMA history.
Since then, for the two times that the Octagon has landed in Melbourne, it’s been in the Rod Laver Arena, which seats just under 16,000 fans. Considering the two regional stars headlining the card, the expected attendance number is much, much higher.
UFC 243 will take place on October 6 is headlined by a middleweight title fight between champion Robert Whittaker and interim champion Israel Adesanya. The only other fight reported for the card is a bout between Contender Series 2019 alum Yorgan De Castro and Australian heavyweight Justin Tafa. After Dan Hooker’s knockout during the UFC San Antonio main card, he called for a fight on this card, and Al Iaquinta responded by saying, “I love it down under.” Hopefully that fight comes together soon.
