Lyoto Machida and Mauricio (Shogun) Rua pose at the press conference as Dana White watches. (Courtesy James Brydon)

BY JAMES BRYDON
sportsnet.ca

MONTREAL -- UFC president Dana White believes the biggest testament to the growth of the sport is the fact that two Brazilians can headline a card in Montreal and it sells out.

White was at the Bell Centre for yet another pre-event press conference Thursday -- receiving another Montreal Canadiens jersey with his name and the number of the event on the back -- as UFC 113: Machida vs. Shogun 2, the third sold-out event in Montreal, takes place Saturday. It’s headlined by a light-heavyweight title bout between champion Lyoto (The Dragon) Machida and Mauricio (Shogun) Rua.

The outspoken mixed martial arts ambassador has over and over again referred to Canada as the mecca for MMA and he reiterated that Thursday.

Not even recent problems, such as the legislative issues in Ontario, the behind-the-scenes hurdles that plagued the planning of next month’s event in Vancouver or even the fact that last year’s event in Montreal appeared in jeopardy thanks to the local commission, have dampened White’s enthusiasm.

"Nothing about Canada puts me off," White insisted. "I'd come to Canada every weekend and do a fight if we could."

White said it’s all part of a process to get MMA sanctioned and accepted in different locations. Earlier in the week UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre visited Parliament Hill in Ottawa as part of a lobbying effort for the sport, something White said the UFC set up with the Canadian government.

White also said they have a team in Toronto this week, which includes UFC CEO Lorenzo Fertitta and vice-president of regulatory affairs Marc Ratner, as part of the ongoing campaign to get the sport sanctioned in Ontario. Their UFC 113 press kit this week included a map of North America which shows the states and provinces where the sport is currently sanctioned (shaded green) and places where it’s not and/or they’re working on. There are only a few not shaded green.

"We’re almost done," White said.

While the organization continues to work on that, international expansion continues full-bore. After Saturday’s event goes in the books, Fertitta will get on a plane and travel overseas for 14 days visiting China, India and South Korea.

"Those are the three countries we’re focused on next," White said. "We’re going everywhere. We’re taking this thing all over the world and we’re working on some cool, big things right now."

He also said they’re working on going international with The Ultimate Fighter reality show. A series in the Middle East will be the first, while Canada could be next, though there is no timeframe yet.

"If things work the way we’re working right now, the second one will probably be Canada."

The Ultimate Fighter Mexico was what they really wanted to do, but White said it’s taken more time. A live event in Mexico City is definitely going to happen, he said.

Join sportsnet.ca MMA blogger James Brydon for live discussions this week from Montreal.

- Saturday at 7 p.m. ET / 4 pm PT

According to White, the way fans in Montreal have embraced the sport proved to him they don’t need to have Georges St-Pierre headlining in order to make it successful.

And this week’s event certainly offers something for every type of fan.

For the hardcore MMA fan, it has a matchup of two top welterweight contenders in the co-main event, American Josh Koscheck and Britain’s Paul Daley.

For the casual fight fan, former internet streetfighting phenomenon Kimbo Slice is in action against Matt Mitrione, and he believes he has a lot more to offer now than what he did before as a straight brawler.

"I’ve evolved (as a fighter)," said Slice, who has been training with American Top Team in Coconut Creek, Fla. "I was one-dimensional a couple of years ago, but every day gets better for me. If anyone has a chance to beat me (one way) it was yesterday.

"I no longer consider myself one-dimensional."

The card is also filled with Canadian content as seven will be in competition.

In the main event, the Machida-Rua meeting is one of the most anticipated matchups in recent memory, primarily because of the controversial result in their first meeting. Most of the MMA community believes Rua was robbed the first time they met at UFC 104 last October, where Machida earned a unanimous five-round decision. Though not everyone disagrees with the way the judges scored it.

Canadian MMA trainer Shawn Tompkins, who is the head trainer at TapouT Training Center in Las Vegas, is in town to corner Sam Stout, who takes on Jeremy Stephens on the main card. He is one of the minority who felt Machida was the rightful winner, though he admits to being a big fan of Machida and that might have swayed his view.

The two fighters themselves are certainly adamant about their opinions on the fight.

Rua said he still doesn’t understand how the judges scored it in Machida’s favour.

"I got very sad about the outcome, but not about my performance," Rua said. "The immediate rematch made up for it though."

Machida firmly believed he won the first four rounds and only conceded the last one to Rua.

"I think part of the reason people felt I lost was because of the way they promoted the fight," Machida said. "I was coming off two straight knockouts and people expected me to dominate again. I didn’t dominate, but I still felt I won.

"And I won."

Machida said he respects other people’s opinions and it doesn’t bother him that many fans disagreed with the result. After all, he now has the opportunity Saturday to go out and erase any doubt that he still deserves to be the champion.

"I don’t worry too much about what happened in the past," Machida said. "I’m going to go in with a lot more appetite and try to finish the fight as soon as I can. I’m going to stick with my strategy and win this fight."

NOTES: White said they have already picked coaches for the 12th season of the U.S. version of The Ultimate Fighter and they will be announced Friday during the Q&A session at the Bell Centre for UFC Fight Club members. Speculation has been they could be St-Pierre and the winner of Koscheck-Daley, though White wouldn’t say. He did confirm during the press conference the winner of said welterweight tilt will be next to get a title shot at GSP.