Mixed martial arts megastar Georges St. Pierre (19-2) will indeed defend his 170-pound title against last-welterweight-standing, Dan Hardy (23-6), at UFC 111, which is slated for the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., on March 27, 2010.
The promotion has yet to officially announce the event; however, commentator Bill Goldberg today shared the good news with fans at the UFC 107 weigh in Q&A that "Rush" would take on "The Outlaw" in the main event of the evening.
It will be the first appearance for St. Pierre in the "Garden State" since his submission loss to Matt Hughes at UFC 50: "War of '04." Since that loss, "Rush" has gone 12-1, and a 2007 stoppage to Matt Serra notwithstanding, has looked nearly invincible in all 13 of his contests.
Aside from avenging his defeat to Hughes at UFC 79 (and then finishing his title aspirations for good at UFC 83), the uber-welterweight also put his stamp of disapproval on BJ Penn (twice), Jon Fitch and Thiago Alves.
In fact, Dan Hardy was likely afforded a title shot because there aren't many competitors in the 170-pound division that haven't already got a crack at the surging Canadian -- and came up short.
That's not to suggest "The Outlaw" isn't deserving. After squeaking past Akihiro Gono in his Octagon debut back at UFC 89, the Nottingham native rattled off three more wins, including two over a pair of the division's burgeoning prospects, Marcus Davis and Mike Swick.
Ironically, Swick was one win away from his turn at facing St. Pierre in a number one contender match against Martin Kampann at UFC 103 back in September; however, the Texan suffered a "Quick" exit from the event after getting dropped on his head during practice.
After "The Hitman" was shot down by Swick substitute Paul "Semtex" Daley on Sept. 19, Hardy was yanked from his UFC 105 bout opposite "Stun Gun" Kim and given the opportunity to elevate himself into title contention with a big win over one of the original Ultimate Fighter stars.
Mission accomplished.
Though it can be said that sometimes you should be careful what you wish for -- you just might get it. Stay tuned to MMAmania.com for more updates and developments on this still-developing fight card.
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