Houston to host UFC 69

By Steve Sievert

The Ultimate Fighting Championship is headed to Houston.

UFC 69-Shootout will be held April 7 at Toyota Center and feature one of mixed martial arts' most exciting stars in the main event. Canadian Georges St. Pierre will defend his UFC welterweight title for the first time, taking on veteran Matt Serra.

The two 170-pounders were originally scheduled to face off at UFC 67 on Saturday night, but an injury forced the champ out of the fight. St. Pierre sprained two ligaments in his knee during a wrestling drill in late December.

"I'm healing up very fast and will be 100 percent very soon," said St. Pierre, 25, who claimed the welterweight crown with a convincing win over Matt Hughes at UFC 65 last November.

Serra, 32, who fights out of Long Island, N.Y., earned a title shot by winning the welterweight division of last year's comeback-themed edition of The Ultimate Fighter reality show.

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