UFC 293 returned to Sydney’s Qudos Bank Arena for the first time since 2017 — and shattered records.
The event went down on September 10, marking the sixth visit to Sydney, but fans showed their interest before anyone even stepped into the ring. According to the arena, tickets sold out during the initial onsale within 13 minutes, bringing-in $10.7 million. This broke the sales record held by the Rolling Stones by 92%.
During the event, Sean Strickland defeated Israel Adesanya for the UFC middleweight championship belt. The arena said thousands of fans flocked to Sydney from around the world, with a large portion coming outside of New South Wales. Records were even broken in corporate sales, with 1,000 corporate guests turning-out for the night.
Qudos Bank Arena General Manager Steve Hevern said that this was the third numbered UFC event held at the arena and was “by far the biggest.”
“It is really pleasing to see the momentum continuing to build post-COVID,” Hevern said. “It is clear that the fans have spoken and live entertainment is well and truly back. UFC 293 was one for the ages. It was a massive effort by the entire Arena team, and I couldn’t be prouder of their determination to deliver a seamless operation that produced memorable experiences across the board.”
Fans also had the chance to experience more than just inside the stadium; The UFC Fan Experience allowed guests to see athlete interviews and fighter face-offs. Free events including a press conference and ceremonial weigh-ins preceded the event for what UFC Vice President of Australia and New Zealand Peter Kloczko called “an unforgettable week of events.”
