Who's coming to town on June 12th?

Now that it seems likely the UFC will come to GM Place on June 12th, the speculation on who exactly will enter the octagon can begin. First off--just one rumour I have come across so far. Even though June 12th is before the Ultimate Fighter 11 finale, apparantly coaches Tito Ortiz and Chuck Liddell might square off as the main event in Vancouver. It's because the UFC wants to drum up excitement for the finale which is a week later. I'm hoping this would be just a co-main event. I think we deserve better than two fighters that are well past thier best years. I'm hoping for a title fight. Or at least something a little more interesting.

We know this, the UFC likes Canada. Dana White has called it the Mecca of MMA. High praise for a country still trying to sanction the sport in it's most heavily populated province. The previous two UFC events in Montreal give us two hints about what we can expect in terms of match-ups at GM Place. First off, the card will feature Canadians. Secondly, we should see at least one if not two big match-ups, quite possibly a title fight--I'm crossing my fingers. So with that in mind, let the prognostications begin.

Let's start with who won't be coming. And yes, it is the biggest name in Canadian MMA. Georges St. Pierre will likely not show his face any closer than ringside on June 12th. He's fighting Dan Hardy on March 27th in Jersey. For him to fight in Vancouver it would mean only a two-and-a-half month layoff. That is just not done for title holders in the UFC. I guess if he knocks out or submits Hardy early in the first round there's a small chance, but even then highly unlikely. Keep in mind the UFC will likely name Vancouver's main event before March 27, and they won't know what St.Pierre's status will be until after.

So, no welterweight title fight. And probably no light heavyweight title fight either. Lyoto Machida is penciled in to fight Mauricio Shogun Rua on May 1st in Montreal. Dana White seems pretty sold on that fight. With that in mind, let's take a look at the other weight classes.

The Heavyweights. It's come out this week that Brock Lesnar is back training and could be back in the octagon in a few months. As of right now the UFC has tentative main events right up until UFC 113. Only 114 in Vegas and 115 in Vancouver are events without main attractions. Lesnar could easily end up headlining one of those two cards. He would likely fight Junior Dos Santos or the winner between Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Cain Velasquez on February 21st.

The Middle Weights. It is a long shot, but with a little luck, Anderson Silva could come to Vancouver. He's slated to take on the hard hitting Vitor Belfort on April 10th in Abu Dhabi. But Silva has been pushing this fight back since last year. His recovery from elbow surgery last fall has taken longer than expected, and just one more little set back is all he would need for waiting period of, say, two months.

The Lightweights. B.J. Penn is good to go right now. He's told Dana White he wants to fight ASAP. Penn has gone on the record saying he expects to compete on that April card in Abu Dhabi. But you can't always get what you want, and White and co. know they need to save something for both the Vegas and Vancouver cards, though apparantly Abu Dhabi is getting very close to a done deal.

As for non-title, but great fight options, the possibilities are greater. Forrest Griffin hasn't fought in a long time. Rich Franklin should be ready to go come June. What about a Kimbo Slice appearance? He hasn't stepped in since his win over Houston Alexander. That's just to name a few.

As for the Canadians, I thought White would save Sam Stout for Vancouver. But it's looking more and more like "Hands of Stone" will compete on the May 1st Montreal card. Too bad, his fights are always exciting. Patrick Cote, who hasn't fought since 2008, is back training, but it's believed he will fight in Montreal. And of course Rory "The Water Boy" McDonald would be an obvious choice. The 20 year old Kelowna resident made his UFC debut this week, submitting Mike Guymon in the first round at Fight Night 20.

Stay tuned for all the rumours as they come. And don't forget to listen for my MMA reports on the TEAM 1410.