BY JOE FERRARO
sportsnet.ca
The Ultimate Fighting Championship is apparently returning to the city of Sydney, Australia.
A source has informed me that UFC 127 may take place at the Acer Arena, the same venue that hosted the organization's inaugural event in Australia, UFC 110: Nogueira vs Velasquez.
The proposed dates appear to be Saturday, Feb. 19 or Saturday, Feb. 25, with the organization finalizing details over the next few days.
The UFC's first show Down Under was held on Saturday, Feb. 20, 2009 (Feb. 21 in Australia) and drew a sellout crowd of 17,431 fans, generating a live gate of AU$2.5 million.
Merchandise sales grossed $540,000, breaking the previous record by $38,000, originally set by Iron Maiden.
The UFC 110: Nogueira vs Velasquez main event saw Mexican-American heavyweight Cain Velasquez solidify the title shot he will cash in this weekend in Anaheim, against champion Brock Lesnar.
Velasquez used impeccable footwork, timing and striking to knock out the legendary Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira at 2:20 of the first round.
The news comes off the heels of a recent report by MMAjunkie that the organization is also considering making a return to Abu Dhabi, as well as holding another Independence Day event on their home base of Las Vegas.
With the news being fluid, changes and/or confirmation from the UFC is still pending. Stay tuned for more information regarding UFC 127, as it becomes available.
