Canadian superstar Georges St. Pierre is coming home to headline Ultimate Fighting Championship’s return to Montreal.
UFC’s reigning welterweight champion will main event UFC 124 on Dec. 11 at the Bell Centre in Montreal versus challenger Josh Koscheck. Two two are building up their title bout by coaching opposite teams on Season 12 of The Ultimate Fighter, UFC’s reality-TV program. The new season debuts on Sept. 15 on Spike TV in the United States and Sportsnet in Canada.
The location was first confirmed Monday by MMAFighting.com.
The outspoken Koscheck has already started the trash-talk directed toward St. Pierre. The Canadian isn’t taking the bait, saying he’s not going to get emotional in the octagon and lose his cool. That’s when mistakes happens, says St. Pierre.
“But when it’s time to punch him, just the little extra motivation I’m going to have at the end of the punch to twist my knuckle into the head, it will be good thing,” he said in Toronto earlier this month during a promotional appearance.
“It will give me an extra power edge.”
Ultimate Fighting Championship has held events three times previously in Montreal: UFC 83 in April 2008, UFC 97 in April 2009 and UFC 113 last May.
UFC 83 was an official sellout only one minute after tickets went on sale to the general public. The event in April 2008 drew what was then a North American MMA-record crowd of 21,390.
UFC 97, the company’s return to Montreal in April 2009, set a new attendance record, with 21,451 flocking to see Anderson Silva, Chuck Liddell and Mauricio (Shogun) Rua.
St. Pierre previously fought in Montreal in the main event of UFC 83, regaining the welterweight championship from Matt Serra.
Koscheck earned the title shot versus St. Pierre by defeating Paul Daley at UFC 113. Following the match, he incited the Montreal crowd by telling them the Pittsburgh Penguins would defeat the Montreal Canadiens in the NHL playoffs and that he would take the title from St. Pierre.
St. Pierre and Koscheck have met in UFC’s octagon once before, when St. Pierre earned a unanimous decision at UFC 74 in 2007.
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