UFC 83: Manchester Evening News (M.E.N.) Arena the likely destination

Update: This show will now take place in the Unite States.

UFC 83, which is slated for Saturday, March 8, 2008, will likely take place at the Manchester Evening News (M.E.N.) Arena in Manchester, England, according to the latest print edition of the Wrestling Observer newsletter.

It had been previously rumored that the event could take place in London.

UFC 70: "Nations Collide" on April 21, 2007, was the last time the UFC staged a show in the venue. And it makes sense to return, considering a sellout crowd of 14,921 fans packed the arena for a live gate of about $2.6 million.

In fact, UFC 70 broke every merchandise record, selling more stuff inside the venue than any other event in the 12-year history of the M.E.N. Arena.

That's impressive.

To date, UFC 83 likely features the middleweight debut of hometown hopeful, Michael Bisping, against The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 4 alum, Charles McCarthy. In addition, there's some talk that a fight between light heavyweights Houston Alexander and James Irvin is in the works.

Stick around for more updates.