Penn-St-Pierre headlines another UFC Vegas card

This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.

During a three-month stretch, Ultimate Fighting Championship will stage three major cards at the same Las Vegas resort. The UFC announced Tuesday that lightweight champion B.J. Penn will fight welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre on Jan. 31 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

On Saturday, heavyweight Randy Couture returns to the organization after more than a year of legal battles to fight Brock Lesnar, the former World Wrestling Entertainment performer.

And UFC’s Dec. 27 show at MGM is loaded with the heavyweight and light-heavyweight titles on the line, along with the return of legally troubled former champion Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson.

A UFC spokeswoman said the organization would’ve liked to have staged St-Pierre-Penn in his home country, Canada, but that Montreal’s Bell Centre was booked that night for a Canadiens-Kings game.

-- Lance Pugmire

Photo: B.J. Penn, top, fights Joe Stevenson during an Ultimate Fighting Championship bout at the Metro Radio Arena in Newcastle, England in January. Credit: Jon Super / Associated Press