In the lead-up to UFC 297, UFC President Dana White hinted at hosting an event in South Africa.
Also read: Dricus ‘Stillknocks’ du Plessis eyes South Africa’s first UFC win
White has previously expressed his desire to establish a presence in Africa, stating that the most popular mixed martial arts promotion will arrive on the continent.
However, just last week, in the lead-up to the UFC 297 championship fight between then-middleweight champion Sean Strickland (USA) and South Africa’s Dricus Du Plessis, White reiterated that the brand would make plans to visit the world’s second-largest continent.
‘If Dricus becomes the world champion, it’s a no-brainer. We will go to South Africa. Africa has been on my radar for a long time,’ said White last week.
Yesterday morning, after Du Plessis made history as the first South African to be crowned UFC king, White addressed the media with some exciting news for African fans.
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‘Absolutely, positively Dricus could be the guy to spearhead a UFC Africa event,’ said White.
‘I have been talking about UFC Africa for a long time. Maybe we start looking at South Africa and arenas in the country and possibly doing a fight down there this year,’ added White after Du Plessis secured a split-decision win over Strickland at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
White has previously mentioned South Africa, Nigeria and Rwanda as possible locations for a UFC Africa event.
When it comes to South Africa, thousands of fans agree that Cape Town Stadium is the ideal location for the billion-dollar brand’s first event, given the city’s infrastructure and track record of hosting world-class events, most notably the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
However, it has yet to be confirmed whether White would consider an open-air arena of this nature.
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Also read:
Dricus du Plessis makes history to become SA’s first UFC world champ
