UFC returning to Halifax in February with televised Fight Night event

Fans sit in their seats at a UFC event. (David Dermer/AP)

TORONTO — The UFC is returning to Halifax in February with a televised Fight Night event at the Scotiabank Centre.

There is no word yet on the makeup of the Feb. 19 card.

The UFC’s next Canadian show is UFC 206 on Dec. 10, marking a return to Toronto after an absence of more than three years.

The first card in Halifax, in October 2014, saw Canadian welterweight Rory MacDonald stop former Strikeforce champion Tarec (Sponge) Saffiedine by TKO in the third round of the main event.

The UFC’s first visit to Atlantic Canada drew a loud crowd of 10,782 at the Scotiabank Centre. Canadian fighters won seven of their nine bouts on the televised Fight Night card.

"We’re thrilled to bring the Octagon back to Halifax after our successful debut there in 2014," said Joe Carr, UFC senior vice-president, international. "Canada remains a priority market for UFC, and we will continue to showcase top talent and deliver for our Canadian fans like at UFC 206 in Toronto this December."

The Toronto show will be the UFC’s third in Canada in 2016, following televised cards in Ottawa in June and Vancouver in August. The UFC 206 main event will see Daniel Cormier defend his light-heavyweight championship against No. 1 contender Anthony (Rumble) Johnson.

There are seven Canadian fighters on the Toronto card, which will be the UFC’s 22nd show in Canada. Other cities to host cards are Calgary, Montreal, Quebec City, Saskatoon and Winnipeg.

The last UFC card in Toronto was UFC 165 on Sept. 21, 2013, when Jon (Bones) Jones defended his light-heavyweight title against Alexander (The Mauler) Gustafsson in an epic bout. Their UFC 178 rematch was originally slated for September 2015 in Toronto but was moved to Las Vegas.

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