Toronto is primed and ready for the UFC to return on December 10th with light-heavyweight champion Jon Jones defending his title against the world-class and elusive Brazilian Lyoto Machida.
It will be the 2011 encore for the UFC north of the border as it debuted in April with an incredible show both inside the cage and out, as fighters were scattered all over the city making appearances for flocks of rabid fans.
The UFC announced today that Jones, Machida, UFC President Dana White and Director of Canadian Operations Tom Wright will be in Toronto tomorrow, Oct. 12, to discuss the event at a press conference at 1:00 P.M. EST at the Air Canada Centre. It will be open to the public and streamed live at UFC.com.
Additionally, the fighters will hold an autograph session from 5:00 P.M. to 6:00 P.M. at Real Sports Apparel, located within Maple Leaf Square.
“After his performance against Rampage, there’s no doubt Jon Jones is one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the sport,” UFC President Dana White said.
“He’s already beaten Shogun and Rampage this year and now he gets Machida, a former champion. Machida is one of the most elusive and dangerous strikers in the UFC and he’s motivated to get the belt back. We’re giving the fans in Toronto a really great title fight.”
“I am thrilled to be fighting Lyoto Machida at UFC 140 in Toronto, which is just a few hours from my hometown, Endicott, N.Y.,” Jones said.
“He is an incredibly skilled fighter and one who poses numerous challenges inside the Octagon. He has only been defeated twice in his career and is coming off a big victory in April. For me, it will be important to just continue to focus on making myself better as a fighter, and keeping the fight at my intensity and aggression levels. It is my goal to become the first UFC fighter to defeat three former champions in one year.”
“I’m really excited to be fighting for the light-heavyweight title again,” Machida, owner of a 17-2 record, said. “Jon Jones is a great fighter and a great champion. It’s going to be my experience and technique against his youth and athleticism. It’s going to be a great fight.”
Aside from the mouth-watering title fight, the UFC rewarded Canadian fans with the Nogueira brothers, Tito Ortiz and Frank Mir all fighting on the card. They have also followed the usual blueprint of stacking the card with fighters from the host country, as we will see fan-favorites Mark “The Machine” Hominick. Rory MacDonald, Mark Bocek, Krzysztof Soszynski, John Makdessi and Mitch Clarke, all on the card.
Christmas is coming early for UFC fans in Canada.
Dwight Wakabayashi is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report MMA and Correspondent for MMACanada.net. Unless otherwise noted, all quotes were obtained first-hand.
Catch him on Facebook and Twitter at wakafightermma
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