On November 17th, at the Bell Center in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, UFC Welterweight Champion Georges “Rush” St-Pierre made his return to the Octagon to defend his title against Interim Welterweight Champion, Carlos “The Natural Born Killer” Condit in UF…
On November 17th, at the Bell Center in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, UFC Welterweight Champion Georges “Rush” St-Pierre made his return to the Octagon to defend his title against Interim Welterweight Champion, Carlos “The Natural Born Killer” Condit in UFC 154.
GSP made a triumphant return against Condit, but it was not without a struggle. The match could quite possibly go down as Fight of the Year. Condit attacked GSP the only way a “Natural Born Killer” would, keeping the fight at a distance with his jabs and kicks.
Condit was even able to rock GSP in the third round with a wicked high kick to the head that sent the Canadian reeling on his back. The crowd was stunned as they saw Condit pounce on their fallen champion like a jungle cat.
The moment showed eerie similarities to the GSP vs. Serra 1 match back in 2007 at UFC 69, in which Serra was able to rock St-Pierre and stay on him until the ref stopped the fight.
This time, GSP was able to weather the storm and snatch Condit into his guard before he could do any more damage. You could hear the crowd release a sigh of relief and continue to cheer for their fellow Canadian.
Once GSP got back to his feet, you could see the welt on his forehead from where Condit‘s shin landed. GSP was able to use his superior wrestling skills to take down Condit repeatedly and execute his ground-and-pound to the Interim Champion through the rest of the fight, garnering a victory and securing his spot as one of the greatest Welterweight Champions in UFC History.
GSP was able to silence the critics who were doubting him before the fight. You could still see the explosiveness in his step. You could still see the hunger in his eyes. You could not even tell that St-Pierre was on a 19-month layoff with a torn ACL. Recovery complete. The champ is back.
Now that the champ is back—and quite possibly even better—what is next? UFC president Dana White now has options that hopefully include the word “superfight” in them. According to UFC broadcaster Joe Rogan, we are in the golden era of mixed martial arts. The UFC has fighters who are taking the sport to a new level—guys like St-Pierre, Jon Jones and Anderson Silva.
Fighters of that caliber are rare, and to have them fighting in the same era is truly something to cherish. Now the question looms: Are they going to eventually face each other? If so, who would it be?
For years, everybody has been talking about a superfight with UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson “The Spider” Silva against UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St-Pierre. Both men have been dominating their divisions for years.
It wasn’t until a few weeks ago that Dana White publicly announced that a fight between Silva and St-Pierre could be a reality. Enter UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon “Bones” Jones. Jones has been cleaning out his division as well, and now Silva has shown some interest in fighting the young juggernaut of the light heavyweight division.
After his sensational first-round knockout of Martin Kampmann in UFC 154, you can now throw in UFC welterweight Johny Hendricks to the mix. This guy is just steamrolling over anyone that gets in his way. Knocking out Kampmann was amazing, but knocking out my buddy, Jon Fitch, is simply a wake-up call to the entire welterweight division.
Now that I have said my part, it is time to hear yours. Who should be in the next superfight? Would it be Silva vs. Jones? Or GSP vs. Silva? If Silva does fight Jones, would you be open to seeing a fight between St-Pierre and Hendricks?
Either way, the real winner in all of this is going to be the fans. Any of these matchups would be amazing to watch.
Guiding us through the proceedings is liveblogger-supreme Aaron MandelBen Goldstein!, who will be throwin’ down round-by-round results from the UFC 154 pay-per-view main card beginning at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT. Refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest, and let your voices be heard loudly and proudly in the comments section.
Guiding us through the proceedings is liveblogger-supreme Aaron MandelBen Goldstein!, who will be throwin’ down round-by-round results from the UFC 154 pay-per-view main card beginning at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT. Refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest, and let your voices be heard loudly and proudly in the comments section.
Yeah, Aaron pulled out due to some last-minute technical difficulties, so you’re stuck with Old Mom. And here I was, enjoying a pleasant Saturday evening of drinking local craft beer and putting together IKEA furniture. This better be good, guys.
Mark Hominick vs. Pablo Garza
Garza comes out to “Lights” by Ellie Goulding. Hominick comes out to “Kickstart My Heart” by Motley Crue. The dichotomy is both hilarious and awesome. Bruce Buffer greets the crowd with a friendly “Bone Swa, Mon’Reahhhh…”
Round 1: Hominick stalks forward and Garza tries to push him back with leg kicks and a knee. Hominick steps in and throws heavy. Garza trying to keep him at distance with his long scarecrow limbs, but Hommy lands anyway. You can tell that Hominick wants to make an example of this guy. But now Garza dashes in with a great knee to the body and follows it with a good leg kick. Garza throws the head kick. Hominick backs up with punches. Another nice leg kick from Garza. Garza goes low/high with the kicks. He changes levels with punches too, but Hominick counters him hard, backing Garza to the fence. They tie up and Hominick slams him to the mat. Garza goes for the armbar. He nearly sinks it but Hominick pulls out and starts slugging down from inside Garza’s guard. Garza gets up and flings a long knee into Hominick’s body. Garza throws a punch to the ribs. But Hominick lands a devastating punch to Garza’s body and he crumbles. Hominick tries to finish but Garza gets up and lands an uppercut that opens Hominick up. Garza pushes Hominick to the fence and unloads. Hominick escapes at the bell. Awesome round…I have to give it to Garza 10-9 for landing more and drawing blood.
Round 2: Hominick’s face is already puffed up. Garza throws a wild-ass jumping kick to start the round. He grabs Hominick around the waist and drags him down, rolling into Hominick’s guard. Garza working some GnP and lands a couple good shots to Hominick’s mug. Now some elbows. This isn’t going well for the Canadian. He gets some distance and fires down some longer punches now. Hominick trying to tie up an arm then a leg, looking for any kind of submission, but it’s not happening. Hominick looks be bleesing near both eyes now, as Garza continues the assault of punches and elbows from the top. And that’s the bell. 10-9, bordering on 10-8 for Garza.
Round 3: Garza opens with a high kick, then goes to the inside leg. Hominick comes out like he did in the first frame, stalking and throwing hard. Garza grabs Hominick again, but gets shucked off. Garza tries a takedown again and gets it. Garza slashes with elbows. Hominick tosses the legs up looking for an omoplata, but can’t get it. More elbows from Garza. Hominick thinks about going for the leg, then resumes his roadkill-impression. Hominick slaps Garza in the side of the head a few times, doing jack-shit. Garza slugs him hard in the face. Double-hand slaps from the bottom from Hominick? Ugh, dude. Hominick kicks Garza off, Garza knees him in the ribs when he gets up and takes Hominick right back down. Garza in Hominick’s half-guard, and tosses down some hammer-fists. Hominick with a hail-mary triangle-armbar, but Garza pulls out and the fight ends. The crowd boos Garza for beating the dog doo-doo out of their homeboy. This is going to be Garza’s win, and the fourth straight loss for Hominick.
Pablo Garza def. Mark Hominick via unanimous decision (29-27, 30-26, 29-28).
Mark Bocek vs. Rafael Dos Anjos
Round 1: Bocek takes the center of the cage. Bocek ties Dos Anjos up and pushes him against the cage; Dos Anjos escapes. Leg kick Dos Anjos. Bocek shoots again, and they’re back to tangling on the fence. Bocek knees Dos Anjos in the thighs from the clinch. Dos Anjos returns a knee to the chest and pushes off. Dos Anjos with a superman punch that misses and an uppercut that lands hard. Bocek lands a head kick but slips to the mat. He pops up, tries for a thai clinch then drops low. Dos Anjos just refuses to be taken down tonight. He’s out, and they trade low kicks. Dos Anjos sticks the uppercut. Leg kick Dos Anjos. Bocek shoots in, puts Dos Anjos against the fence, drops to finish it, can’t. Dos Anjos rolls out and kicks Bocek in the leg. That’s the round. I hope Bocek goes to Plan B, because he’s not landing the takedowns and I don’t particularly want to watch two more rounds of this.
Round 2: After a brief punching exchange, Bocek low-kicks Rafael straight in the Dos Anjos, if you catch my drift. Yowzer. Anyway, Dos Anjos is back in with the quickness. Bocek shoots again and Dos Anjos reverses him. Dos Anjos on top, struggling for control. Bocek powers to his feet but Dos Anjos puts him back down. Bocek looks for an arm, and Dos Anjos straight up sits on the dude’s head in north-south position. (aka, The Arabian Goggles Position.) Bocek thankfully escapes, and eventually gets to his feet. Dos Anjos smells blood, and shoots hard for a takedown, nailing it. He goes to Bocek’s back and slugs down at Bocek’s temple. Bocek covers up. He grabs onto Dos Anjos’s leg and works his way upright. Dos Anjos lifts Bocek straight up and deposits him on the mat. Bocek stands up and gets punched in the face for his troubles. Bocek’s face is a bloody mess. Time for Plan C?
Round 3: Dos Anjos with the superman punch, still looking energetic. Bocek goes back to grabbing Dos Anjos against the fence and dropping for a takedown, but it’s still not working. Dos Anjos with a body slam to get the fight back to the mat. Bocek gets up and goes for a standing kimura, but Dos Anjos escapes. Straight right from Bocek. Jumping knee to the body from Dos Anjos. Bocek attacks with punches. They tie up against the fence. Dos Anjos with a knee to the ribs. Dos Anjos with a crane kick attempt, then a hard uppercut. Dos Anjos slips, gets up and stumbles around a bit, then they trade punches in a firefight to the bell. This is going to be another loss for Team Canada.
Rafael Dos Anjos def. Mark Bocek via unanimous decision (30-27 x 3)
Francis Carmont vs. Tom Lawlor
Lawlor and his crew come out as…nerds, I guess? Not his best work.
Round 1: Lawlor the aggressor, coming forward and darting inside. They clinch on the fence. Carmont returns a knee. There’s another one. Dirty boxing from Filthy Tom. The ref breaks ‘em up when it becomes clear that they’ll spend all night on that fence. Carmont tries to set up a kimura when Lawlor shoots on him again. No dice. It’s back to the fence. They separate. Carmont uses his reach advantage, sticking his hand on Lawlor’s forehead to keep him at bay. Lawlor grabs a guillotine and jumps to the mat with it. Looks tight. Blood starts leaking out of somewhere on Carmont’s head, but he finally pulls out and postures up for some ground-and-pound payback. The bell saves Lawlor from getting punished.
Round 2: Carmont with some 52 Blocks-type hand-gesturing. Lawlor glides in with a straight left. Inside leg kick from Lawlor, then the outside. Carmont responds with a solid knee to the body. Lawlor pushes Carmont back against the fence. Lawlor lands the straight. Lawlor pushes him against the fence again. Carmont with a punch inside, and Lawlor drops for a takedown. He sticks it after some effort. Carmont gets up but eats a knee. Lawlor drags him down again. Carmont looks for the triangle but Lawlor escapes and scrambles for a guillotine attempt. Carmont escapes but the bell sounds before he can retaliate.
Round 3: They’re boxing. Carmont with a kick to the body. Carmont jumps forward with a knee, Lawlor grabs him and puts him against the fence. The crowd boos them, the ref breaks them. High kick from Carmont lands. Inside leg kick from Carmont. Lawlor pushing forward with punches. Carmont lands a right. He throws another high kick. Lawlor lands a counter-left. Kicks from Carmont to the leg and body. Left hook Lawlor, body kick Carmont. Foot stomps from Lawlor against the cage. They’re up after a brief moment on the mat, and that’s the fight. Not exactly a crowd-pleaser. The scores will be close.
Francis Carmont def. Tom Lawlor via split-decision (29-28 x 2, 28-29). The Montreal crowd actually boos the decision, even though the Canadian dude won it. Maybe they just hated the fight.
If you’re wondering where Nick Ring is tonight, read the update at the top of this post.
Johny Hendricks vs. Martin Kampmann
Round 1: Kampmann throws a high kick to open. He tries it again. Hendricks bolts in with his nasty left hand. A lightning fast left/right combo from Hendricks puts Kampmann into falling tree mode, and Hendricks only has time to punch Kampmann’s comatose head once before Big Dan pulls him off. My goodness that was nasty. Ladies and gentlemen, Johny Hendricks is the next in line at 170 pounds.
Johny Hendricks def. Martin Kampmann via KO 0:46 of round 1.
Georges St. Pierre vs. Carlos Condit
Alright, main event time. Who’s ready for five rounds of positional domination? The champ enters the cage and does cartwheels in both directions. SCARED YET, CARLOS?
Round 1: GSP jabs. Carlos with a leg kick. GSP is moving forward, punching, making Condit circle along the outside of the cage. Carlos throws a 1-2, fires a high teep that misses. Leg kick Georges, and a sharp jab. St. Pierre shoots for a leg and twists Condit to the mat. GSP softens him up with punches, carefully avoiding attacks from Condit’s guard. St. Pierre pulls Condit’s neck up to break his position. Condit tries to kick off but St. Pierre is glued on top of him, doing what he does best. Condit looking for an arm, can’t find it. More punches from the top from GSP. St. Pierre with shots to the ribs. Condit escapes to his feet. He’s cut, badly. The bell sounds and jets of blood pulse out of Condit’s forehead. The replay shows that St. Pierre did it with an elbow from the top. Easy 10-9 for the champ.
Round 2: Nice straight/uppercut/kick combo from Condit. They both whiff high kicks. St. Pierre leans in with a straight that connects. Carlos lands a left. Condit lands a 1-2 on GSP, then a hook after a knee attempt. St. Pierre answers with a right. Condit throws a knee kick. Condit goes body/head. St. Pierre shoots for a double leg and nails it. Big shot from the top. Condit’s face is gory. He slugs at GSP off his back, in vain. St. Pierre lands much more effective punches from the top. Condit dashes to his feet. As bloody as he is, he’s still game, getting in GSP’s range and firing punches. GSP punches back. Neither of these guys are playing it cautiously. Another round for the champ.
Round 3: Condit tags St. Pierre with a head kick and floors him! Condit desperately tries to finish, jackhammering punches and elbows down. GSP has quite the goose-egg on the right side of his head. GSP somehow gets to his feet. He’s unsteady, but goes back to attacking Condit, and slams him to the mat. That right there is a champion, folks. Hard elbows from St. Pierre. Condit stands up, grabs a kimura, but loses it as they tumble back to the mat. GSP settles into half-guard as Condit tries to find a way off his back. Nothing doing. St. Pierre stays on top until the bell.
Round 4: Condit goes low/high with kicks. Condit tries the head kick again but gets counter-punched directly after. St. Pierre dives for the takedown and gets it. We’re back in the champ’s world. Condit trying to snake his way out, and stays active punching GSP off his back. St. Pierre with punches whenever he can find an opening. Condit looking for a kneebar, can’t get it, and misses a follow-up triangle attempt. Carlos goes back to slugging GSP in the face from below. Condit tries to get up, GSP drags him down, Condit briefly reverses the position, GSP reverses the reversal. He takes Condit’s back as the fourth round ends.
Round 5: GSP with a brilliant superman jab/leg kick combo. Carlos is swinging at air. Then he lands a spinning back kick. St. Pierre nails another takedown, but Condit is quickly back on his feet. St. Pierre lands a right. Condit charges in and lands a right, then a left. Condit with a hook, then a knee kick. St. Pierre with a pair of jabs, a right hand, and finishes with a takedown. Two minutes left. St. Pierre is doing his best to hold the challenger in place. Condit rolls, St. Pierre takes his back, Condit defends and establishes guard again. St. Pierre gets a little more active in the last 40 seconds, firing down punches. Condit looks for a desperation armlock, switches to elbowing St. Pierre in the head when that doesn’t work. The fight ends, and they both look like they’ve been in a car wreck. It wasn’t always pretty, but Georges St. Pierre just answered all the doubters. The only things left are the scores, and one more obligatory cut to Anderson Silva.
Georges St. Pierre def. Carlos Condit via unanimous decision (49-46, 50-45 x 2).
GSP says his knee didn’t bother him at all, and he wouldn’t have fought if it did. Joe Rogan asks him the million dollar question about a potential Anderson Silva fight, and the crowd boos. St. Pierre says he was only thinking about Condit; now, he’s going to take a vacation, think it over, and make the right decision for his career. Come on Andy, rush the cage and call him a punk or something! Ah well…the event ends without an awkward post-fight confrontation, but it’s great to see the greatest welterweight in MMA history working again.
That’s a wrap for tonight. Thanks, as always, for hanging out with us.
It’s no secret that Canada has become a hotbed for mixed martial arts over the past few years. Not only do fans up north love MMA, but the country has also produced a ton of talented fighters, from UFC welterweight champ Georges St-Pierre to up-a…
It’s no secret that Canada has become a hotbed for mixed martial arts over the past few years. Not only do fans up north love MMA, but the country has also produced a ton of talented fighters, from UFC welterweight champ Georges St-Pierre to up-and-comers like John Makdessi and Francis Carmont. If the UFC does […]
Earlier this year, the UFC announced its plans to host three major events in Canada by year’s end.As we approach the first—UFC 149 in Calgary—you have got to start thinking: Canada may just be more important than the United States to …
Earlier this year, the UFC announced its plans to host three major events in Canada by year’s end.
As we approach the first—UFC 149 in Calgary—you have got to start thinking: Canada may just be more important than the United States to the evolution of MMA.
At the same press conference, UFC president Dana White expressed his confidence in Canada as the place where MMA has found its footing with national support.
Citing great attendance and $40 million in gate earnings in the eight events since Canada’s first, UFC 83, White explained that Canada’s support of MMA attests to this foundation.
“This place has been the Mecca of mixed martial arts ever since we set foot in this country.”
White’s assessment is hard to argue against, given the numbers surrounding this success.
The largest UFC attendance at a single event was at UFC 129 in Toronto, where seating was rearranged to meet the huge demand of more than 55,000 fans. The second and third largest crowds were at UFC 124 and UFC 97 respectively, both held in Montreal.
If nothing else, these numbers bolster bold statements like those from White. Perhaps Tom Wright, director of Canadian operations for the UFC, does speak for Canada when he expressed similar sentiments: “Canadians have embraced…the UFC like nowhere else.”
With Canadian fighters like Georges St-Pierre, his protégé Rory MacDonald, Mark Bocek and others, it is not hard for Canadians to throw their weight behind the hometown athletes. The difference is that when their fighters on are the card, they show up in droves.
To what is this kind of support attributed?
Perhaps it is that Canada’s No. 1 sport, hockey, is one of the few that actually allows physical contact anymore, or that Canadians have some solid fighters to back?
Whatever the case, the fact remains: Canada has been becoming the more important country to MMA and the UFC.
The events the country has received in 2012 remind us of this history and further speak to the future. UFC 149, featuring a featherweight title bout between Jose Aldo and Erik Koch, is scheduled to take place in July at Calgary.
This is the first time the city has seen a UFC event, and tickets sold out minutes after opening to the general public.
It might be impossible to explain exactly why MMA is so popular in Canada, even among Canadians; I’m sure that they, like all fans, have extremely different reasons for enjoying the sport.
But looking back at White’s admiration for the country, the historic attendance at Canadian UFC events and the encouraging future of MMA in Canada, it is hard to argue that the country is not one of, if not the, largest collective supporter of the sport and its head organization.
What does all of this say for the U.S.?
Exactly what you would think. The UFC has to fight a greater sports culture in the US, as there are a number of well-established sports organizations. Moreover, the legislative fight to make MMA legal in Canada is very different from that in America.
Where Canadians cite health, namely concussions, as the main concern, Americans (like New York Assemblyman Bob Reilly) seem to have a moral inclination toward banning MMA.
Admittedly, critics in both countries speak to protecting their country’s children and society, but the argument surrounding this protection are the most telling.
The Canadian push-back against legislation seems to protect children from concussions, while the American criticism tries to protect children from being exposed to things they generally should not be.
One thing is certain, however. Where the U.S. is making small steps toward popular acceptance of MMA, Canada is taking strides.
At a time when the UFC is working to expand its global viewership, it is hard to imagine that the path of least resistance is unappealing.
For the time being, Canada is likely the better patron of MMA and the UFC now and in the foreseeable future.
The stumbling block, besides the queue of challengers lining up to face both men is the fact that they compete in different weight classes — St-Pierre at 170 and Silva at 185. It would almost make more sense to have “The Spider” face 205-pound champ Jon Jones since they walk around at a closer weight and Silva has fought and won at light heavyweight, but “Bones” has stated that he has no interest in the fight.
One of the biggest proponents of a GSP-Silva pairing (which St-Pierre says he’s all for in the next 12 months) is UFC president Dana White, who stated this week that he would love to do the fight in St-Pierre’s home country,which would guarantee a sellout even if it was the only bout on the card.
“I want to put on big fights. I want to put on fights the fans want to see. I know how big that fight is. Imagine if we did Anderson Silva versus Georges St-Pierre anywhere in Canada, how big that fight would be. Believe me, I’d love to do it. We’ll see what happens,” he told MMAWeekly. “Obviously it’s a fight that people have been talking about for a long time. So like Georges said, first of all, he has to get healthy. Then he’s got to fight [Carlos] Condit. Anderson is fighting Chael [Sonnen], and then we’ll see where we go from there. I know that Anderson couldn’t make 170 [pounds], so it would depend on Georges moving up or those guys meet at a catchweight or something like that.”
The stumbling block, besides the queue of challengers lining up to face both men is the fact that they compete in different weight classes — St-Pierre at 170 and Silva at 185. It would almost make more sense to have “The Spider” face 205-pound champ Jon Jones since they walk around at a closer weight and Silva has fought and won at light heavyweight, but “Bones” has stated that he has no interest in the fight.
One of the biggest proponents of a GSP-Silva pairing (which St-Pierre says he’s all for in the next 12 months) is UFC president Dana White, who stated this week that he would love to do the fight in St-Pierre’s home country,which would guarantee a sellout even if it was the only bout on the card.
“I want to put on big fights. I want to put on fights the fans want to see. I know how big that fight is. Imagine if we did Anderson Silva versus Georges St-Pierre anywhere in Canada, how big that fight would be. Believe me, I’d love to do it. We’ll see what happens,” he told MMAWeekly. “Obviously it’s a fight that people have been talking about for a long time. So like Georges said, first of all, he has to get healthy. Then he’s got to fight [Carlos] Condit. Anderson is fighting Chael [Sonnen], and then we’ll see where we go from there. I know that Anderson couldn’t make 170 [pounds], so it would depend on Georges moving up or those guys meet at a catchweight or something like that.”
Don’t tease us Dana. Set a date and stick with it, like a marriage pact between aging friends. Tell them, “If you’re both champs on *insert date here*, you’re going to walk down the aisle to the Octagon together and things are going to rapidly go downhill between the two of you from there.” You have three Canadian dates penciled in this year, so it’s totaly doable.
I know you read the site Dana, even if it’s just to further build a case against us, but regardless of your MO, please make this the best New Year’s Eve event in the history of MMA.
Signed, your friends at CagePotato.
p.s. We never heard back from you if you enjoyed the Mrs. Fields brownie basket we sent you. We’re guessing you did even though you still won’t return our calls. We’re not mad, though. At least we’ll always have Boston.
(Full press conference video, via YouTube.com/UFC. Man, Nick Ring is like a *god* in that town.)
Today’s UFC press conference in Calgary resulted in a tidal wave of major announcements, highlighted by two title-fight bookings and confirmations of three Canadian events in 2012. Here’s what we’re looking at…
– The middleweight championship rematch between Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen will take place at an 80,000-seat soccer stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, not Sao Paulo as originally reported. [Ed. note: R.I.P., Chael.] The exact venue hasn’t been confirmed yet, and the event is expected to take place at UFC 147 on either June 16th or June 23rd. It will be the third time in 10 months that Rio will host a UFC event. We’ll be keeping our eyes out for this guy.
– For the third year in a row, the UFC will hold three events in Canada this year: UFC 149 in Calgary (7/21), UFC 152 in Toronto (9/22), and UFC 154 in Montreal (11/17). No matchups have been scheduled for the Toronto and Montreal shows, although welterweight champ Georges St. Pierre said he’d like to compete at UFC 154 if his knee-surgery recovery allows it.
(Full press conference video, via YouTube.com/UFC. Man, Nick Ring is like a *god* in that town.)
Today’s UFC press conference in Calgary resulted in a tidal wave of major announcements, highlighted by two title-fight bookings and confirmations of three Canadian events in 2012. Here’s what we’re looking at…
– The middleweight championship rematch between Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen will take place at an 80,000-seat soccer stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, not Sao Paulo as originally reported. [Ed. note: R.I.P., Chael.] The exact venue hasn’t been confirmed yet, and the event is expected to take place at UFC 147 on either June 16th or June 23rd. It will be the third time in 10 months that Rio will host a UFC event. We’ll be keeping our eyes out for this guy.
– For the third year in a row, the UFC will hold three events in Canada this year: UFC 149 in Calgary (7/21), UFC 152 in Toronto (9/22), and UFC 154 in Montreal (11/17). No matchups have been scheduled for the Toronto and Montreal shows, although welterweight champ Georges St. Pierre said he’d like to compete at UFC 154 if his knee-surgery recovery allows it.
– Jason MacDonald is already scheduled to face Tom Lawlor at UFC on FUEL 3 (May 15th; Fairfax, VA), but the Calgary native hopes to have his UFC retirement fight at UFC 149.
On November 17th, at the Bell Center in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, UFC Welterweight Champion Georges “Rush” St-Pierre made his return to the Octagon to defend his title against Interim Welterweight Champion, Carlos “The Natural Born Killer” Condit in UFC 154.
