The UFC has added six Canadian fighters to its June card at The Arena at TD Place in Ottawa.
The MMA organization had previously announced the card's main event No. 1 welterweight contender Rory (Red King) MacDonald against No. 2 Stephen (Wonderboy) Thompson but the venue was not made public until Tuesday. The UFC also unveiled eight more fights on the card.
Montreal-based MacDonald (18-3-0) is coming off a UFC 189 loss to 170-pound champion (Ruthless) Robbie Lawler while Thompson (12-1) stopped former welterweight title-holder Johny (Bigg Rigg) Hendricks last time out.
Also on the Ottawa show, Montreal welterweight Patrick (The Predator) Cote takes on American Donald (Cowboy) Cerrone. Ranked No. 9 at 155 pounds, Cerrone (29-7-0 with one no contest) won his welterweight debut in February when he stopped Alex Oliveira.
Cote (23-9-0) has won his last three fights and is 5-1 since dropping to welterweight three years ago.
In choosing The Arena at TD Place, the UFC opted for the smaller of the two main arenas in Ottawa. The televised card will be held at the 10,000-seat home of the OHL Ottawa 67's rather than the larger Canadian Tire Centre where the Senators play.
Tom Wright, the UFC's executive vice-president and general manager for Australia, New Zealand and Canada, said the smaller venue was chosen because its location allowed for ``fan experience'' and other events prior to the show.
Venue size was not a major factor, he said, adding that the Canadian Tire Centre capacity would be reduced to 16,000 or less due to the fight night setup.
In other fights on the card;
Former minor-league hockey enforcer Steve Bosse (11-2-0) of St-Jean Sur Richelieu, Que., meets American Sean O'Connell (17-7-0). Bosse is coming off a first-round KO win over James Te Huna in Brisbane on March 19.
Toronto's Elias (The Spartan) Theodorou (11-1-0) takes on American Sam Alvey (25-7-0 with one no contest).
Charlottetown's Jason Saggo (11-2-0) tackles Brazil's Leandro Silva (19-2-1 with one no contest).
Toronto light-heavyweight Misha Cirkunov (11-2-0) looks for his third win in the UFC when he faces Moldovan newcomer Ion Cutelaba (11-1-0).
Montreal lightweight Olivier Aubin-Mercier (8-2-0) fights France's Thibault Gouti (11-1-0).
American middleweight Tamdan McCrory (14-3-0) faces Poland's Krzysztof Jotko (17-1-0)
Montreal-based Dominican welterweight Alex Garcia (13-3-0) meets American Colby Covington (8-1-0).
Ottawa becomes the ninth Canadian city to host a UFC show, joining Calgary, Halifax, Montreal, Quebec City, Saskatoon, Toronto, Vancouver and Winnipeg. It will mark the UFC's 20th event north of the border.
The UFC plans two more cards in Canada this year, including one pay-per-view. Calgary, Toronto and Vancouver are in the mix for the shows.
(Canadian Press)
3 comments:
This beats the Saskatoon show all to hell!
Had my tickets before seeing this. WOOHOO!!
They always give Ceronne the easy fights. Cote will be submitted in the 1st round
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