Kiwi UFC fighter Dan Hooker is eager to take any prospective title fight to Dunedin, saying that Auckland's indoor venues would be too small.
Hooker, 30, will this weekend face Dustin Poirier in Las Vegas, the Kiwi entering the ring as the UFC lightweight division's fifth ranked contender.
Any victory over Poirier would see the Kiwi rocket into contention for a title shot, with only title holder Khabib Nurmagomedov, Conor McGregor, Poirier, Tony Ferguson and Justin Gaethje ranked ahead of him.
New Zealand's near elimination of Covid-19, coupled with the rising popularity of UFC could mean for a potential destination for a fight in the near future.
Hooker's last bout, victory over Paul Felder at Auckland's Spark Arena, brought in a crowd of over 10,000.
Speaking to media ahead of this weekend's fight though, Hooker said he'd want to take any prospective bout south, Dunedin's Forsyth Barr Stadium being his preferred venue.
"That's gotta be a pay-per-view I think," Hooker said.
"Unfortunately, Auckland doesn't have a (indoor) stadium big enough for a pay-per-view.
"There is one, down in Dunedin. I'm deadly open to shifting the show down to Dunedin, having 30-40,000 of my hometown, home countrymen supporting me."
Hooker faces Poirier as the co-main event at the UFC Apex on Sunday NZT.
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