❓ The Minister for Tourism answers questions regarding the economic impact and significance of securing UFC 221 for Western Australia, highlighting the expected tourism boost and the government's role in enabling the event by lifting the ban on octagon fencing.
AnsweredQoN 573Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
ULTIMATE FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIP
573. Mr B. URBAN to the Minister for
Tourism:
I refer to today's
announcement that the McGowan Labor government has secured the massive and
widely sought after Ultimate Fighting Championship main event, which is UFC
221.
(1) What impact will this have on
the WA economy?
(2) Can the minister explain why
this is a massive coup for the state?
573. Mr B. URBAN to the Minister for
Tourism:
I refer to today's
announcement that the McGowan Labor government has secured the massive and
widely sought after Ultimate Fighting Championship main event, which is UFC
221.
(1) What impact will this have on
the WA economy?
(2) Can the minister explain why
this is a massive coup for the state?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(2) I
thank the member for the question. It has just been revealed to me that the
member is a mixed martial artist. I was not aware of that and would not have
picked him for it, but there you go; that is an indication of the —
Ms
S.F. McGurk interjected.
Mr
P. PAPALIA : What did you call him?
Ms
S.F. McGurk : ''Lethal Barry''.
Mr
P. PAPALIA : ''Lethal Barry''! That is an indication of the
extent of the reach of mixed martial arts and, indeed, the extent of the fan
base of UFC in Western Australia. It is extraordinary. I was down at the Perth
Arena a couple of hours ago announcing, as the member indicated, the arrival of
UFC 221 in Perth next year on 11 February. That will be one of the biggest
events ever to hit Western Australia. It is an extraordinary coup, really, to
achieve only the fourth UFC pay-for-view event in Australian history. In coming
to Perth, it will give us the opportunity to, obviously, attract thousands of
visitors from interstate and overseas. This is a sport that has a huge
following—56 million people on the social media base with 40 000
members or followers in Western Australia and tens of thousands of mixed
martial arts participants in that sport in Western Australia. Thousands upon
thousands around the world, particularly in the nations to our north—in
those target markets for our tourism industry to the north—and hundreds
of millions of people will be watching and will receive promotions of Perth and
Western Australia during the bout as well as in the lead-up to the bout. As we
heard from Dana White, the president of UFC, via video presentation this
morning at the press release, they will be promoting it. UFC has a bit of a media
machine; it is very good at promoting things. It will be promoting UFC 221
right around the world. It will result in a direct spend of around $7.5 million
as projected by Tourism WA, but Dana White reckons it will bring about $20 million
more to the economy more broadly. It will be a huge return.
The only reason it can happen in Western
Australia is because this Premier in opposition made the commitment to make
mixed martial arts safer in Western Australia. For some extraordinary reason
his predecessor chose, of his own volition, to impose a ban on the octagon
fencing, which makes mixed martial arts safer. He banned that, making mixed
martial arts less safe and more dangerous for thousands upon thousands of Western
Australians who participate in the sport. It was a bad move. It was dangerous
and compelled mixed martial arts fighters to use a boxing ring so they could be
pushed through the boxing ring often allowing a significant fall onto a cement
deck, imposing potential damage. The Combat Sports Commission wholeheartedly
endorsed returning the octagon. The Premier committed to it and the sports
minister delivered that in June. Now we are delivering on UFC for the first
time ever in Western Australia on 11 February at Perth Arena.
Several members interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Members! I know you are the senior member of the house, member for
Cottesloe, but there is no need to take charge.
Several members interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Yes, I know. Member for Dawesville—let some young blood
in.
thank the member for the question. It has just been revealed to me that the
member is a mixed martial artist. I was not aware of that and would not have
picked him for it, but there you go; that is an indication of the —
Ms
S.F. McGurk interjected.
Mr
P. PAPALIA : What did you call him?
Ms
S.F. McGurk : ''Lethal Barry''.
Mr
P. PAPALIA : ''Lethal Barry''! That is an indication of the
extent of the reach of mixed martial arts and, indeed, the extent of the fan
base of UFC in Western Australia. It is extraordinary. I was down at the Perth
Arena a couple of hours ago announcing, as the member indicated, the arrival of
UFC 221 in Perth next year on 11 February. That will be one of the biggest
events ever to hit Western Australia. It is an extraordinary coup, really, to
achieve only the fourth UFC pay-for-view event in Australian history. In coming
to Perth, it will give us the opportunity to, obviously, attract thousands of
visitors from interstate and overseas. This is a sport that has a huge
following—56 million people on the social media base with 40 000
members or followers in Western Australia and tens of thousands of mixed
martial arts participants in that sport in Western Australia. Thousands upon
thousands around the world, particularly in the nations to our north—in
those target markets for our tourism industry to the north—and hundreds
of millions of people will be watching and will receive promotions of Perth and
Western Australia during the bout as well as in the lead-up to the bout. As we
heard from Dana White, the president of UFC, via video presentation this
morning at the press release, they will be promoting it. UFC has a bit of a media
machine; it is very good at promoting things. It will be promoting UFC 221
right around the world. It will result in a direct spend of around $7.5 million
as projected by Tourism WA, but Dana White reckons it will bring about $20 million
more to the economy more broadly. It will be a huge return.
The only reason it can happen in Western
Australia is because this Premier in opposition made the commitment to make
mixed martial arts safer in Western Australia. For some extraordinary reason
his predecessor chose, of his own volition, to impose a ban on the octagon
fencing, which makes mixed martial arts safer. He banned that, making mixed
martial arts less safe and more dangerous for thousands upon thousands of Western
Australians who participate in the sport. It was a bad move. It was dangerous
and compelled mixed martial arts fighters to use a boxing ring so they could be
pushed through the boxing ring often allowing a significant fall onto a cement
deck, imposing potential damage. The Combat Sports Commission wholeheartedly
endorsed returning the octagon. The Premier committed to it and the sports
minister delivered that in June. Now we are delivering on UFC for the first
time ever in Western Australia on 11 February at Perth Arena.
Several members interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Members! I know you are the senior member of the house, member for
Cottesloe, but there is no need to take charge.
Several members interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Yes, I know. Member for Dawesville—let some young blood
in.
Explore WA Government Data
Search the full archive in the free dashboard, or query programmatically via API.
Explore more
Government Gazette
Appointments, regulatory notices, planning changes.
Hansard
Debates, questions, speeches and sentiment.
Tabled Papers
Reports and documents tabled in Parliament.
Committees
Committee profiles and recent reports.
Regulations
Subsidiary legislation with filters and summaries.
Bills
Proposed laws and parliamentary progress.
Acts
Current WA legislation and summaries.
Explanatory Memoranda
Bills with EMs (text/PDF) available.
Members
MP profiles, party breakdown and rankings.
Pollie Rankings
Data-driven rankings across 19 categories.
Amendment Chains
Track how schemes and regulations evolve over time.