![‘That's insane!': Here's how much a ticket would cost if UFC was hosted in SA [VIDEO]](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.citizen.co.za%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2025%2F02%2FDricus-return-SA.jpg&w=3840&q=100)
‘That's insane!': Here's how much a ticket would cost if UFC was hosted in SA [VIDEO]
Sports Minister Gayton McKenzie said a ticket would cost R23 000 if a UFC event was hosted in the country.
South Africa's Dricus du Plessis celebrates his victory over Sean Strickland of the US after their middleweight division fight at UFC312 in Sydney. Picture: Saeed Khan / AFP
At a recent launch of Boktown in Sandton, Sports Minister Gayton McKenzie spoke about how much it would cost to attend an Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) event in South Africa.
'UFC is willing to come but we would have to sell a ticket at R23 000 for us to break even. That's insane. So, what we are doing is, we are engaging with more sponsors.
'We are now looking at other ways.'
NOW READ: PICTURES: Highlights from the Basketball Africa League finals in Pretoria
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
IOL News
4 hours ago
- IOL News
Mercedes George Russell, the man without a contract, is fastest in Practice at Austria
George Russel is leading Mercedes' to the right direction along with rookie Kimi Antonelli. | AFP Image: AFP George Russell will need to fight tooth and nail for the second half of the season to hopefully get his bosses signature on his contract for next year. Russell was the fastest through the first free practice session at Spielberg on Friday ahead of Round 11's Austrian Grand Prix. Russell ran the fastest lap of the session with his 1:05:542 second lap at the Red Bull Ring, ahead of Max Verstappen. McLaren's Oscar Piastri finished the session in P3 with the most impressive driver of the day behind him - Formula 2's Alex Dunne. Dunne drove in place of Lando Norris for McLaren as part of regulations which dictate that a F2 driver take the seat during practice. Verstappen was just shy of Russell's pace - who is definitely looking to secure a consecutive win in Austria and prove to Toto Wolff that he deserves the coveted main seat of Mercedes for another season. 'It's not something that I'm pressing massively because, as I've always said, the performance is the priority, and I feel with the performance I'm showing at the moment – still in line with the performance I've shown over all these years – I've got zero reasons to be worried. But obviously it does help if there was pen on paper,' the British driver said during the Austrian GP media day.
IOL News
a day ago
- IOL News
Five Springboks who must fly to catch Rassie's eye against Barbarians
Springbok lock Jean Kleyn. Photo: AFP Image: AFP It may not be an official Test match, but there is a lot to play for when the Springboks run out against the Barbarians at Cape Town Stadium on Saturday. Here are five Boks who could catch the eye of coach Rassie Erasmus for more important matters later in the season… Morné van den Berg The Bok scrumhalf situation is a bit up-in-the-air at the moment. First-choice No 9 Grant Williams is still injured, Jaden Hendrikse was dropped, and Embrose Papier was ignored despite a stellar season with the Bulls. And while Erasmus had the experienced duo of Cobus Reinach and Faf de Klerk to turn to, he has opted for Lions No 9 Van den Berg to start against the Barbarians. Known for his pace across the ground, Van den Berg has worked hard on his kicking game in recent years, which has improved significantly. But now he has a chance to measure himself against the highly-experienced former All Black scrumhalf Tawera Kerr-Barlow, who will also keep the South African honest around the fringes on defence. Jean-Luc du Preez Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ Having been part of so many squads in recent seasons, former Sharks star Du Preez wasn't called upon. But now the England-based loose forward has to show Erasmus why he should be retained and even challenge Jasper Wiese for the No 8 jersey. Bulls stars Elrigh Louw and Cameron Hanekom are out for the rest of the year, so a stand-out display from the abrasive Du Preez against former All Black Shannon Frizell – who has a similar playing style – could catapult him into contention for the Rugby Championship. Vincent Tshituka Your #Springboks team to face the @Barbarian_FC in Cape Town tomorrow, and what a special team photo for Jesse, Vincent, Marnus, Asenathi and Neethling 🤩#ForeverGreenForeverGold — Springboks (@Springboks) June 27, 2025 The Sharks flank would probably have made his Bok debut while at the Lions a few years ago if it wasn't for the off-field administrative problems with regards to his official documents. But now Tshituka will hope to translate that outstanding United Rugby Championship form over many years onto the international scene. It doesn't come much tougher than facing two grizzled flanks in Peter O'Mahony and Sam Cane, and if Tshituka forces his way over the advantage line, he will get more game-time. Jean Kleyn Untimely injuries have robbed former Ireland lock Kleyn of more Test caps, but now he's back to stake a claim for more opportunities. The lock stocks are suddenly looking rosy now that Lood de Jager is back from injury, so competition is going to be at the highest possible level in the second row. But there is a chance for Kleyn to prove to the Bok coaches that he can be a permanent solution at No 4, as both Eben Etzebeth and Salmaan Moerat have battled with injuries. Asenathi Ntlabakanye We all know the remarkable 'Kamp Daan Draad' that the popular Lions No 3 had to endure to shed an amazing 18kg. But now Ntlabakanye must prove what we all think he can do: be a force at international level. His first port of call will the scrums, where Irish veteran Cian Healy will be waiting with bated breath to get stuck into him in his last match before retirement. But we also want to see Ntlabakanye make his barn-storming carries at close quarters and burst through tackles to get the Boks onto the front foot. Springbok Team 15 Aphelele Fassi 14 Cheslin Kolbe 13 Jesse Kriel (captain) 12 Damian de Allende 11 Kurt-Lee Arendse 10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu 9 Morné van den Berg 8 Jean-Luc du Preez 7 Vincent Tshituka 6 Marco van Staden 5 Lood de Jager 4 Jean Kleyn 3 Asenathi Ntlabakanye 2 Malcolm Marx 1 Ox Nche. Bench: 16 Marnus van der Merwe 17 Jan-Hendrik Wessels 18 Neethling Fouché 19 Franco Mostert 20 Kwagga Smith 21 Cobus Reinach 22 Manie Libbok 23 André Esterhuizen. Barbarians Team 15 Melvyn Jaminet 14 Mark Tele'a 13 Leicester Fainga'anuku 12 Peter Umaga-Jensen 11 Jacob Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkins 10 Josh Jacomb 9 Tawera Kerr-Barlow 8 Shannon Frizell 7 Sam Cane 6 Peter O'Mahony (captain) 5 David Ribbans 4 Ruben van Heerden 3 Paul Alo-Emile 2 Camille Chat 1 Cian Healy. Bench: 16 Ricky Riccitelli 17 Hassane Kolingar 18 Will Collier 19 Josh Beehre 20 Hoskins Sotutu 21 Santiago Arata 22 Joe Marchant 23 Lachlan Boshier.
The Citizen
a day ago
- The Citizen
China confirms trade deal with US and lifting of ‘restrictive measures'
The announcement by the US and China follows initial talks in Geneva in early May, which led both sides to postpone massive tariff hikes. China has confirmed details of a trade deal with the United States, saying Washington would lift 'restrictive measures' while Beijing will 'review and approve' items under export controls. On Thursday, US President Donald Trump announced that the US and China had signed a trade agreement and that he expects to reach a deal with India soon. 'We just signed with China the other day,' Trump said. Rare earth minerals The announcement by the US and China follows initial talks in Geneva in early May, which led both sides to postpone massive tariff hikes that threatened to derail much of the trade between the two countries. A top priority for Washington in talks with Beijing had been ensuring the supply of the rare earth minerals for products including tech products, electric vehicles, hard drives and national defence equipment. ALSO READ: Hopes rise as US and China continue trade talks Restrictions China, which dominates global production of the elements, began requiring export licences in early April, a move widely viewed as a response to blistering tariffs imposed by Trump, according to AFP. Beijing confirmed on Friday that an agreement had been reached. 'It is hoped that the United States and China will meet each other halfway,' a spokesperson for the commerce deoartment said in a statement. Huawei ban There was no mention if there would be a lifting of the US ban on Huawei products. When the Trump administration blacklisted Huawei Technologies in 2019 over spying concerns, the move almost wiped out the Chinese company's global smartphone business. Yet it bounced back with the support of China's government and is now at the center of national efforts to achieve technological independence from the West. The remarkable comeback raises questions about whether US efforts to contain China's geopolitical ascent have been effective or adequate and which of the two superpowers will come to dominate in areas such as semiconductor design and artificial intelligence, according to Bloomberg. Some have equally wondered about whether the United States is truly concerned about raising any national security concerns against Huawei, or about safeguarding its dominance of the global technology ecosystem. ALSO READ: Trump says deal with Xi 'extremely hard' as steel tariffs double
