MANILA, Philippines – Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) welterweight champion Georges “Rush” St-Pierre said he is all set to defend his title against challenger Dan “The Outlaw” Hardy in UFC 111 on Saturday (Sunday in Manila).

“It’s gonna be a tough fight and I’m ready for a war,” St-Pierre told UFC.com.

Hardy praised his opponent but expressed confidence that he will beat St-Pierre.

“I think he is a very talented athlete, and seems like a nice guy. It’s unfortunate that I have to hit him repeatedly in the face... I’m sure his female fans won’t be too happy with me after the fight,” he said.

St-Pierre, who has 19 wins and 2 losses, defeated Thiago “Pit bull” Alves by unanimous decision in UFC 100 last July and BJ Penn via technical knockout stoppage (referee) in UFC 94 January last year.

Hardy, who has a record of 23-6-0 with1 no contest (NC), also won all his fights last year. He beat Mike Swick by unanimous decision in UFC 105 last November, Marcus Davis by split decision in UFC 99 last June and Rory Markham by knockout in UFC 95 February last year.

UFC 111: St-Pierre vs Hardy will be held at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.

Heavyweight showdown

Aside from the welterweight title showdown, a heavyweight title fight will also take place in UFC 111.

Former heavyweight champion Frank Mir will face Shane Carwin for the interim UFC heavyweight championship title.

Mir, who has 13 victories and 4 defeats, will aim to hand Carwin (11-0) his first career loss.

Ben “Killa B” Saunders (8-1-2), meantime, will take on Jake Ellenberger (22-5) while Jon Fitch (24-3, 1 NC) will face Alves (22-5).

Jim Miller (16-2) will fight Mark Bocek (8-2) and Nate Diaz (11-5) will tackle Markham (16-5).

Other UFC 111 matches are Ricardo “Big Dog” Almeida vs Matt “The Immortal” Brown, Kurt “Batman” Pellegrino vs Fabricio “Morango” Camoes, Rodney “Shonuff The Master” Wallace vs Jared Hamman, Rousimar “Toquinho” Palhares vs Tomasz “Gorilla” Drwal, and Matthew Riddle vs Greg Soto.

For more UFC action, watch Balls on SkyCable Channel 34 and other quality operators nationwide.

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