According to multiple reports, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is mulling a return to Canada set for later this year. The UFC is allegedly eying a December timeline for UFC 140 with UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre potentially headlining. More interestingly, according to Tom Wright, UFC Director of Canadian Operations, St. Pierre could defend his title against Strikeforce welterweight champion Nick Diaz. The Montreal Gazette reports:
UFC 140 Headed To Montreal With Georges St. Pierre Vs. Nick Diaz Headlining?
"We'll do Vancouver on June 11 (for UFC 131) and then most likely we'll be back in Montreal on Dec. 10," Wright said Wednesday, adding the event would be dubbed UFC 140.
"It is one of several dates we've got held. We haven't made any final decisions, but we've been in Montreal on that weekend, we were there in ... 2010, and it's certainly in the mix for 2011."
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"I've heard about the Nick Diaz-GSP fight. It is too early," said Wright, noting that St-Pierre is taking some "much needed rest" and recovering from an injury suffered courtesy an eye poke from Shields at UFC 129.
Wright correctly notes that using St. Pierre is not a given not simply because the French Canadian needs to heal a nasty eye injury, but because the market is so fertile a Canadian need not headline. UFC 113 in Montreal featured Lyoto Machida vs. Mauricio Rua and the event was largely considered a financial and pay-per-view success.
Should the UFC return to Montreal, it would mark the promotion’s fifth show at the Bell Centre.
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