Bloody and violent as it was, this was no bar-room brawl. It was the opening bout in the 110th tournament of the Ultimate Fighting Championship in Sydney, which claims to be one of the world’s fastest-growing sports.
All 16,500 tickets for the event, priced from $50 to $450, sold out in four hours, before the bill had even been announced, before tickets had gone on general release and before any ads had been run.
This is the first time UFC has come to Australia and despite serious concerns about its safety and impact on impressionable viewers, it almost certainly won’t be the last. “We’ll be back, no question about it,” said Marshall Zelaznik, UFC’s managing director of international development.
Full story, including a picture slide show and video: Caged fury: brutal ‘sport’ a hit with fans