The UFC's international-use octagon could be taking a swift trip south following the promotion's trip to Japan.
Sources close to negotiations today told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) that Sydney is under consideration for an early March pay-per-view event, possibly UFC 145 on March 4.
If confirmed, the event would be the third to touch down in Australia's biggest city following two sold-out events, UFC 110 and UFC 127.
In all likelihood, Allphones Arena (formerly Acer Arena) would host the March event. The same venue hosted UFC 110 and UFC 127, which averaged nearly 18,000 attendees per show.
However, event sources today stressed that nothing is official for the event.
The UFC today held a press conference in Tokyo to promote UFC 144, which takes place Feb. 26 at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. The UFC hasn't promoted in the country since December 2000, when "UFC 29: Defense of the Belts" took place at Tokyo's Differ Ariake Arena. If the UFC books Sydney for UFC 145, it'll be the second international show in just one week's span.
UFC 110 and UFC 127 were held on Sunday, which meant stateside fans watched the event live on Saturday night due to the time difference between the U.S. and Australia. The pay-per-view main card of UFC 144 in Japan also takes place Sunday locally but airs live on Saturday, Feb. 25, at 10 p.m. ET (7 p.m. PT) in North America.
As MMAjunkie.com previously reported, a matchup between welterweights Thiago Alves (19-8 MMA, 11-5 UFC) and Martin Kampmann (18-5 MMA, 9-4 UFC) has been targeted for the UFC 145 event. No other fights are rumored at this time.
Source: UFC looks at Australia for March event, possibly Sydney, for UFC 145
