Yesterday, The Telegraph reported that St-Pierre and Hardy could appear as coaches on the reality series, likely delaying a matchup between the pair from February or March until mid-2010.

The Ultimate Fighter 11, which will feature middleweight and light heavyweight fighters, will begin filming early next year for an expected April debut and will conclude with a live finale in July.

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The Ultimate Fighter 11, which will feature middleweight and light heavyweight fighters, will begin filming early next year for an expected April debut and will conclude with a live finale in July. At open tryouts held last month in Los Angeles, veterans Nick Thompson, Bobby Southworth, and Jason Lambert were among those who advanced in their bids to make the cast of the reality series.

With a recent rash of injuries shelving many of the UFC’s headliners from early-2010 action, the news comes as a surprise as it delays St-Pierre’s return against Hardy from March or April to July or later, removing yet another draw from the promotion’s available roster for the first half of next year.

St-Pierre (19-2) is currently riding a six-fight winning streak that includes title defenses over BJ Penn and Thiago Alves in 2009, but has been sidelined since July due to a groin injury suffered in his unanimous decision win over Alves at UFC 100.

Hardy (23-6) earned a shot at St-Pierre on Saturday with a unanimous decision win over Mike Swick at UFC 105, his seventh-straight win and fourth-straight inside the Octagon.

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UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre says a torn abductor suffered in his successful July title defense against Thiago Alves is completely healed, and that he’ll fight the winner of Mike Swick-Dan Hardy early next year, likely in March or April.

St-Pierre, known by his fans as GSP, will be featured in imagery displayed in Sporting Goods stores across North America, outfitted in Under Armour’s ColdGear, performance apparel designed to protect athletes in cold temperatures. Beginning in spring 2010, St-Pierre will become the face of Under Armour’s long-time top-selling BoxerJock and BoxerBrief Underwear and will serve as one of the primary faces for Under Armour’s Recharge suit, a suit designed to re-energize your body, promote muscle repair and reduce swelling following a workout.

“It is quite an honor for me to represent Under Armour. I have always appreciated the quality of their products, and to be partners with them is a dream come true,” said St-Pierre.

“Not only is Georges one of the biggest stars in one of the fastest growing sports in the world, but his dedication to training and making himself the best at what he does aligns perfectly with our Brand’s mission to make all athletes better,” said Steve Battista, Under Armour Senior Vice President, Brand. “When we found out that he was a fan of ours, we jumped on the opportunity to bring him into the Under Armour family.”

“Georges St-Pierre’s continued success in MMA, his character and integrity, and his wide-reaching fan base make him a terrific brand ambassador for Under Armour, which, much like GSP, has become one of the foremost brands in sports in a short period of time,” said Howard Nuchow, Co-Head, CAA Sports, which represents St-Pierre in conjunction with Shari L. Spencer, President of GSP Enterprises. “Pairing GSP with Under Armour is a testament to the explosive growth of MMA, and the popularity and cultural relevance of its top fighter, among consumers worldwide.”

New for spring 2010, Under Armour has joined forces with Coretection Products Ltd. to bring state-of-the-art patented technology to athletes for all sports around the globe. St-Pierre will be prominently featured in in-store imagery highlighting the new Coreshort compression product. The Coreshort product works to stabilize the core without obstructing movement. The unique technology creates efficient movement through the core, activating stronger motion and more explosive propulsion. Available in two styles; the Coreshort product will retail for $44.99 and the Coreshort Pro product will retail for $59.99.

Under Armour, the originators of performance apparel, has transitioned athletes into moisture-wicking apparel since 1996. Under Armour products are sold worldwide and worn by athletes at all levels, from youth to professional, on playing fields around the globe.

St-Pierre rounds out an impressive roster of NFL, MLB, NBA and Olympic stars, including Super Bowl Champions Ray Lewis (Baltimore Ravens) and Brandon Jacobs (New York Giants); one of the world’s most accomplished downhill skiers, Lindsey Vonn; in addition to Devin Hester (Chicago Bears), Santana Moss (Washington Redskins), Ryan Zimmerman (Washington Nationals), Nick Markakis (Baltimore Orioles), Alfonso Soriano (Chicago Cubs), lacrosse superstar Paul Rabil, and U.S. Olympian Lindsey Jacobellis.

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Spike TV announced on Friday that it will air Efrain Escudero vs. Cole Miller and Drew McFedries vs. Tomasz Drwal from the UFC 103 undercard during a live, one-hour, commercial-free broadcast beginning at 9pm ET on September 19 leading up to the UFC 103 pay-per-view.

Pictured: Anderson Silva

“[A title defense against Diego Sanchez] is gonna happen, hopefully within the next two, two-and-a-half months.

“I’m 30 now and I’m hoping to get a couple of more fights in. I know they say that in MMA, people peak later, but who knows? My whole career, fighting from age 20 to 30, I’ve gotten into real good shape and gotten out of shape and started getting back into shape again. I don’t want to do that anymore.

“Here I am. I’m in shape. I want to have fun for a couple of days, take some time off, eat some good food, and then I want to get right back into all that stuff.

[Sanchez is] really good; he’s really explosive. He’s shown that he has some knockout power and he’s a very good grappler. He’s very hungry; he’s shown that he wants to be a champion someday. This is an important fight.”

“I’d like to get a fight with St. Pierre again, but now that Diego Sanchez is next, once we get the word from Dana White, that’s what we’re gonna be thinkin’ about.”

“Evaluation of the results of an MRI indicate that no surgery will be required, and Georges should be back in the gym training within a few weeks after a brief rehabilitation,” read the announcement.

St-Pierre will next fight the winner of a September matchup between contenders Mike Swick and Martin Kampmann, possibly at UFC 108, the promotion’s blockbuster annual event, which is set to take place on January 2 in Las Vegas.

St-Pierre (19-2) has won 6-straight matchups following his upset loss to Matt Serra in early-2007, defeating Josh Koscheck, Matt Hughes, Serra, Jon Fitch, BJ Penn, and Thiago Alves to cement his status as the world’s top welterweight and among its best pound-for-pound fighters.

The UFC 100 fighters which were tested were Frank Mir, Brock Lesnar, Georges St-Pierre, Thiago Alves, Shannon Gugerty, Jon Fitch, Dan Henderson, Yoshihiro Akiyama, Mark Coleman, Tom Lawlor, Jon Jones, Dong Hyun Kim, and Dan Miller.

All of the fighters except Mir and Alves, who co-headlined the event against Lesnar and St-Pierre respectively, were winners at the pay-per-view event.

Click here to read MMAFrenzy.com’s UFC 100 recap and UFC 100 results, or check out our UFC 100 section for more event coverage.

[Pictured: Brock Lesnar]