UFC targeting returns to Denver, Houston for major events this fall

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

The UFC is looking to make a couple of return visits to some previous host cities this fall, as they are targeting UFC 135 for Sept. 24 in Denver, Colo., and UFC 136 on Oct. 8 in Houston, Texas. The Houston event is also expected to play host to the next UFC Fan Expo on October 7 and 8.

UFC President Dana White confirmed the Houston event during a Q&A at the UFC Fan Expo in Toronto on Friday, and MMAJunkie.com reports that the event is expected to take place at the Toyota Center, an 18,000-seat venue that hosted the UFC's first-ever event in Texas back in 2007 with UFC 69.

The September event does not have a set location or venue, according to a separate report from MMAJunkie.com, but the Pepsi Center in Denver is in the running for the event. In addition, Matt Hughes stated on his personal blog that he would be fighting Diego Sanchez on that date in Denver. The Hughes-Sanchez matchup was announced this week by the UFC to be coming "in the fall," though no specific date had been mentioned by the organization.

A trip back to Denver would be a historic return to the city where the UFC got it's start. The city hosted the first two Ultimate Fighting Championship tournaments in 1993 and 1994, but the organization hasn't been back to Denver since 1995's UFC: Ultimate Ultimate 1995 event.

If both of these events go through as planned, it will mark four events in five weeks, with Fight Night 25 coming Sept. 17 in New Orleans, UFC 135 on Sept. 24 in Denver, UFC 136 on Oct. 8 in Houston and what presumably will be UFC 137 on Oct. 15 in England.

Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/UFC_2/article_9193.shtml

Aldrin de Jesus  Todd Duffee  Marvin Eastman