Overturned cage ban in Victoria gives way to UFC 193

Finally! The legal ban on the use of a cage for mixed martial arts competition in the state of Victoria has at last been lifted.

The Victorian Labor Government announced at a press conference this week that they would be executing a ministerial directive to overturn the cage ban.

The directive was announced by The Honourable John Eren, Minister for Sport, Tourism and Major Events.

Prior to this announcement, MMA competitions hosted in Victoria were required to be held inside a boxing ring. Given the nature of wrestling and grappling in MMA fights, the use of a boxing ring raised many issues on fighter safety.

“This is a major milestone for mixed martial arts in Victoria, which will allow the sport to flourish while at the same time better protecting its competing athletes,” said Tom Wright, UFC Executive Vice-President and General Manager, Australia, New Zealand and Canada.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship has since confirmed that they will be hosting a pay-per-view event, UFC 193, in Melbourne on November 15. Further details have yet to be announced.

Rumour has it that this UFC event will be the biggest that Australia has ever seen. While it’s too early to speculate on a main event, I would surmise that any Aussies that come out of the Adelaide card unscathed on May 10 will likely be on the Melbourne show.

Either way, I can’t wait to see what the UFC has in store for November!