· St-Pierre vs. Shields, Couture vs. Machida Expected For UFC In Toronto

· Article author: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). Posted on 01/02 at 05:57 PM

The UFC's first trip to Toronto is set for April 30 at the 67,000-seat Rogers Centre, and it appears as though the fight card will be as robust as the arena.

Fighters do not always get what they want, but Georges St-Pierre (21-2, 15-2 UFC) is not just any ordinary fighter. When the UFC welterweight champion asked to be placed on the first-ever card in Toronto, it was expected that UFC brass would grant him that wish.

Currently riding an eight-fight win streak, St-Pierre has not lost since falling to Matt Serra in 2007. His most recent fight was at UFC 124 in December, where he easily dispatched of rival Josh Koscheck to retain his title. The 2010 Canadian Athlete of the Year will return to his home country for his first appearance of 2011.

Another fighter who received his wish is Jake Shields (26-4-1, 1-0 UFC), who earns a title shot after just one fight in the UFC. A former champion in Shooto, the now-defunct EliteXC, and Strikeforce (along with also winning a tournament championship in the Rumble on the Rock organization), Shields will look to add more gold to his collection when he takes on St-Pierre in Toronto. Shields defended his Strikeforce middleweight title against Dan Henderson in April, then left the organization to sign with the UFC. The California native then returned to the welterweight division to defeat Martin Kampmann by split decision in his UFC debut at UFC 121.

St-Pierre vs. Shields is expected to be the night's main event.

Less than a month after hinting at retirement on his official Twitter page, former UFC Hall of Famer Randy Couture (19-10, 16-7 UFC) is likely to make his return to the light heavyweight division to face a fellow former champion, Lyoto Machida (16-2, 8-2 UFC).

Couture is scheduled to begin filming "The Expendables 2" in March, but arrangements are expected to be made to allow the fight to happen in April. Currently riding a three-fight win streak, Couture is one of only two fighters to hold UFC championships in multiple divisions. Couture made a return to heavyweight at UFC 118, submitting James Toney in the first round. Now, the 47-year-old will return to 205 pounds to take on Machida.

Machida won the first 16 fights of his career, including his first eight in the UFC, but "The Dragon" has suffered back-to-back setbacks at the hands of Mauricio "Shogun" Rua and Quinton "Rampage" Jackson. This fight, targeted to serve as the night's co-main event, will be Machida's chance to get back in the win column for the first time since October 2009.