Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis has confirmed during a conversation with CapeTalk that the City plans to install a R30-million temporary roof at DHL Cape Town Stadium to enhance the venue’s functionality and visitor experience, Cape {town} Etc reports.
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With the stadium’s open roof limiting it to weather-permitting events, Mayor Hill-Lewis revealed the plan comes in response to Cape Town’s bid to host South African UFC champion Dricus du Plessis’s next fight, which demands an indoor venue.
The announcement of the potential temporary roof plans follows du Plessis’s victory in Januray 2024.
In the lead-up to the highly anticipated UFC 297 championship fight between then-middleweight champion Sean Strickland (USA) du Plessis in January 2024, UFC President Dana White made an exciting announcement.
Cape {town} Etc previously reported that White announced that the UFC had been considering expanding its presence in Africa for some time.
‘If Dricus becomes the world champion, it’s a no-brainer. We will go to South Africa. Africa has been on my radar for a long time,’ said White.
Following Du Plessis’s historic victory as the first South African to claim a UFC title, White shared even more thrilling news for fans across the continent.
‘Absolutely, positively Dricus could be the guy to spearhead a UFC Africa event,’ said White.
Reinforcing the sentiment in his August council speech, Mayor Hill-Lewis hinted at the UFC event, stating that UFC president had promised to bring the fight to South Africa if Dricus du Plessis won his title bout.
‘We will also make the case for Cape Town to be the host city for such a UFC event, and I think we have every reason to believe that this can be done.’
‘So let’s hold thumbs that the next title defence by our champ will be right here in the Mother City.’
Hill-lewis suggests plans are underway.
‘We are already someway down the road… when it became a possibility that we could pitch for a Dricus fight, we started working on a plan immediately because we know that an indoor venue is a non-negotiable requirement of the UFC.’
Hill-Lewis says the City’s engineers have already drawn up four temporary roof options.
‘All of them would be temporary roofs and it would give us a chance to erect, take down and re-erect to give some flexibility at the stadium to also host other events.’
If approved by broader government entities, the temporary roof could be completed by March 2025.
Cape Town is also considering the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC) as a potential venue for the UFC fight.
However, the city faces stiff competition from Johannesburg and Pretoria to host the highly anticipated event.
‘Our engineering teams have already come up with four options, all of which work but have different costs and have different pros and cons.’
The City is still finalising plans with the national government.
Also read:
Cape Town Stadium could be ideal venue for Africa’s first UFC event
Picture: DHL Stadium / Facebook