Sports Minister Gayton McKenzie stated on X yesterday that FNB Stadium in Johannesburg could very well host the first UFC Africa event.
This update came after a concerned fan reached out to McKenzie asking for some clarity after UFC president Dana White opened up about the challenges his team face in rolling out the very first Ultimate Fighting Championship event in Africa.
Before Dricus du Plessis defended his UFC title against Israel Adesanya in Perth in August, White said if the South African won his fight, his next title defence would be in his home country.
But yesterday morning, White opened up about the logistical issues and various issues involved in completing this historic show.
“You know how bad I want this. I’ve been trying to get this done. The arena situation there is tough. That’s been the challenge with Africa as a whole. The place where we’d have to do it is outdoors, and you know how I feel about that,” said White.
“We are trying to figure out the weather situation. One of the things I am hearing is that wind is a big problem. We’ve done it before, but nothing can affect the fight’s outcome. Wind, rain, bugs, too much humidity… a lot of things can interfere with a fight.”
In response to this and concerns raised by South African fans, McKenzie hinted at a solution.
“It’s a problem, I can assure u that we have been tasked with finding a solution by @ufc who r very keen 2 come here, we have some solutions which we will present at the end of this month in Abu Dhabi. There is also a semi-permanent structure opening in a few weeks at Soccer City (FNB Stadium),” said McKenzie.
It’s a problem, I can assure u that we have been tasked with finding a solution by @ufc who r very keen 2 come here, we have some solutions which we will present at the end of this month in Abu Dhabi.There is also a semi-permanent structure opening in a few weeks at Soccer City https://t.co/21lqcfy9jp
— Gayton McKenzie (@GaytonMcK) October 9, 2024
A number of venues across the country, like the Cape Town Stadium and the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC) have been touted as favourites to host the event.
During an exclusive interview with Independent Newspapers last month, Cape Town mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis stated that plans were afoot to try to get the UFC to the Mother City.
“We have some things to do and fix, but the fight is happening in SA.
“I am in regular contact with the minister (McKenzie),” said Hill-Lewis. “We are already some way down the road (in discussions for a potential venue for UFC Cape Town).
“Our City engineering teams have been working hard on an option for a temporary roof over DHL Stadium. Our second option would be to squeeze as many people as possible into the CTICC.”
Later that month, news broke of a proposed R30 million temporary roof structure for the Cape Town Stadium.
Speaking to Cape Talk radio, Hill-Lewis said: “Our engineering teams have already come up with four options, actually, all of which work, but work at different costs and have different pros and cons and have different capacities inside the stadium and so on.
“All of them would be temporary roofs and not permanent.
“But a couple of the options would allow us to erect, take down, and erect the roof for future events as well.”
Hill-Lewis said the City would need about two months to build the structure.
Meanwhile, the show must go on, and White has already stated that Du Plessis will now defend his title against former champion Sean Strickland of the USA.
It is unclear when the clash will take place exactly, but there are talks of early next year, with Sydney as the potential location.