St. Pierre-Koscheck Rematch Headed to Montreal

Georges St. Pierre file photo: Dave Mandel | Sherdog.com

All signs point to Montreal as the destination for the rematch between UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre and Josh Koscheck at UFC 124 on Dec. 11 at the Bell Centre in Quebec, Canada.

UFC President Dana White told MMAfighting.com on Monday that the event would be held in the popular Canadian city, the site of three previous UFC outings.

Sherdog.com has learned that the fighters, who will coach rival teams of lightweight hopefuls on Spike TV’s “The Ultimate Fighter 12” starting on Sept. 15, have been informed of the likely venue and bout agreements are expected to be distributed and signed shortly.

One of the most popular fighters to ever grace the sport, St. Pierre notched his fourth straight title defense with a unanimous decision win over British striker Dan Hardy at UFC 111 in Newark, N.J., last March. The 29-year-old fighter, who hails from St. Isidore, Quebec, has lost only twice in 22 career bouts to UFC hall of famer Matt Hughes and Matt Serra. St. Pierre would go on to avenge both defeats in decisive manner.

American Kickboxing Academy’s Koscheck, earned his shot at the 170-pound title by stifling striker Paul Daley for three rounds at UFC 113 “Machida vs. Shogun 2” last May in Montreal. A four-time Div. I All-American wrestler, the 32-year-old Koscheck fell to St. Pierre by decision in their first encounter at UFC 74 in August 2007.

The UFC has held three previous events at the Bell Centre to robust crowds. UFC 97, which featured a widely panned middleweight title bout between Anderson Silva and Thales Leites in April 2009, reportedly established a new North American attendance record of 21,451 spectators for a $4.9 million gate.

In May, UFC 113 reportedly drew 17,647 attendees for a $3.27 million gate.