Lyoto Machida, left, defeated Mauricio (Shogun) Rua in their Oct. 24 meeting.

By WEB STAFF

sportsnet.ca

The UFC will make its usual trip to Montreal in the spring again, with Lyoto (The Dragon) Machida and Mauricio (Shogun) Rua meeting in a rematch, according to a report.

UFC president Dana White told Yahoo! Sports the two will fight on May 1, 2010. That date for the promotion's third visit to Canada would be a couple of weeks later than its usual slot the past two years.

Montreal's Georges St. Pierre defeated Matt Serra to claim the welterweight belt when the UFC made its Canadian debut on April 19, 2007, at the Bell Centre. The return trip April 18, 2008, saw middleweight champion Anderson Silva knock off Thales Leites in a drab decision in the main event of UFC 97. Both shows were sold to capacity, with UFC 83 setting the record for fastest sellout.

A rematch between Machida, the organization’s middleweight champion, was announced immediately following their Oct. 24 meeting in Los Angeles at UFC 104. Machida won the fight by unanimous decision, with all judges scoring the bout 48-47. Yet many, including White, felt Rua should have earned the victory.

White has consistently said Montreal is one of the organization’s best draws and referred to the city and Canada as the “mecca for mixed martial arts.”