The Ultimate Fighting Championship is giving serious consideration to bringing a title fight to Perth after Labor’s election win started a new chapter for mixed martial arts in WA.

Premier-elect Mark McGowan will fulfil an election pledge when he lifts the ban on the fencing or “cage” in MMA.

WA is the only place in the world where MMA is legal but the cage is not.

The Barnett Government imposed the ban in 2013 against the safety advice of its Combat Sports Commission, prompting the UFC to cancel a reservation for a December 2013 event at Perth Arena.

At the time Mr Barnett said he believed “cage fighting” sent the wrong message to the community.

A similar ban in Victoria was lifted after Labor won the 2014 State election, paving the way for the record-breaking UFC 193, headline by Ronda Rousey and Holly Holm at Etihad Stadium.

Camera Icon Holly Holm’s defeat of Ronda Rousey drew a huge crowd in Melbourne. Credit: Picture: Getty Images

The WA ban stunted the growth of the sport and led to several safety scares at local events held in modified boxing rings.

The use of grappling techniques such as takedowns or judo throws puts the competitors at obvious risk of becoming entangled in the ropes.

The most recent scare came just two weeks ago at Eternal MMA 23 at the WA Italian Club when heavyweight Callum Schenk almost fell through the ropes onto a ringside table.

The near miss caused one Combat Sports Commission official to scream before another said: "That's why we need the cage".

It followed a similar incident at the last Eternal MMA show in Perth in November.

Queensland-based Eternal MMA was the only promotion still holding professional MMA events in Perth in recent months.

Promoter Cameron O’Neill said he had worked with lawyers to investigate legal action against the State Government until Mr McGowan promised to lift the ban.

Camera Icon Heavyweight Callum Schenk nearly falls out of the ring at Eternal MMA 23 in Perth this month

Lifting the ban doesn’t require any legislation to be passed – the new Sports Ministers simply has to give the order to the commission.

That will happen in the coming weeks after the Labor Government is sworn in.

“First of all we offered an olive branch to the government and they decided they were going to be obtuse and not even sit down with us and talk about it,” Mr O’Neill said.

“So we approached Labor. As soon as Labor came out and supported the cage quite vocally, we decided that was a good result.”

Play Video A change of government could allow cage fighting to be staged in Perth. The West Australian Video A change of government could allow cage fighting to be staged in Perth.

Mr O’Neill said he would start matchmaking this week with a view to holding an event in Perth in May – complete with a cage.

“The fact that the ring isn’t a solid structure, there was a genuine risk of people falling out,” he said.

“I think it confuses a lot of the officials as well especially when it comes to fighters being half in the ring and half outside it.

“I’ll definitely be more at ease with the cage. I think the Combat Sports Commission officials will be much more at ease, too, as will the doctor.”

Combat Sports Commission officials declined to comment while the government was in caretaker mode, but ringside doctor Dr Patrick Golden did not hold back.

He described the ban as “pure ignorance” and said he was looking forward to having a less stressful job.

“The government asked the Combat Sports Commission whether it was a good idea, the commission said, ‘No, it’s not a good idea’, and they did it anyway,” Dr Golden said.

“Then they said, ‘We’ve sought industry consultation’.”

Dr Golden also criticised the Australian Medical Association WA for its blanket ban approach to MMA and boxing.

He said he had been treated like a “rogue doctor” by some in the medical profession because of his concerns about athletes falling out of the ring.

“(AMA WA president) Andrew Miller certainly isn’t an expert in combat sports,” Dr Golden said.

“His word on this, apart from being the president of the AMA, actually means very little.”

The UFC has long vowed to bring its Octagon to Perth once the ban is lifted.

UFC head of international Joe Carr told thewest.com.au Perth would host an event in early 2018, most likely at Perth Arena.

Domain Stadium wasn’t suitable because it was exposed to the elements and the daytime scheduling of Australian shows would clash with the UFC’s production style.

“(Perth Arena) is an amazing venue. I toured it when I was in Perth a month ago,” Carr said.

“It’s one of the best, if not the best, arenas for MMA from a structural and sight line perspective.

“We love steep arenas… I just think it’s going to be incredibly loud and intense.”

Play Video The one-time champ was defeated in her comeback fight against Amanda Nunes. The West Australian Video The one-time champ was defeated in her comeback fight against Amanda Nunes.

In a promising turn of events for WA fans, officials are not ruling out the possibility of a numbered pay-per-view event.

“We’ll be there regardless but the question is do we make an even bigger splash with a pay-per-view event like we did in Melbourne?” Mr Carr said.

Mr Carr urged WA fighters to start making their case for a UFC debut.

“I’m assuming we’ll be able to find the best of the best in WA,” he said.

“We’re going to Auckland in June and there are two or three fighters there who have already started their social media campaign to get signed.

“In my mind, just keep doing what you’re doing, keep training hard and continue to win fights.”

One man who has his sights set firmly on Perth Arena is former UFC heavyweight Soa Palelei (22-5).

Palelei stepped away from the sport after a loss at UFC 190 in August 2015 but he said he would come out of retirement for a UFC event in Perth.

“The Hulk” celebrated Labor’s victory with Mr McGowan on election night after pushing hard for the ban to be lifted.

“To be walking out in front of thousands of people in Perth, that’s always been the dream for me,” Palelei said.