The UFC has officially announced they are returning to Saskatoon.

UFC fans will be able to pack the SaskTel Centre for a full night of fights from some of Canada’s and the world’s best on June 20th.

David Shaw, UFC’s Senior Vice-President of international and content, joined Derek Taylor on 620 CKRM’s the Sportscage yesterday, and says they’re excited to be back on the prairies.

“We’ve got this surge lately over the last 12 months of young, Canadian talent that seems to be putting on some incredible performances,” Shaw said. “We’re going to combine those individuals with some global stars, and put together a great card for the fans in Saskatchewan.”

Shaw said coming to Canada gives the organization an opportunity to give other fighters a good chance to compete.

“We love coming back to Canada because it means there’s some new faces on the roster,” Shaw said. “I think for us, our objective is to get all across the country, we’re going to have three events in Canada this year, one will be a pay-per-view, two will be Fight Nights, getting back to the prairies is key.”

Shaw said having events like this are about giving UFC fans the best event possible.

“Our live event is one of the elements of the UFC ecosystem that fans love the most because it’s electric, it’s unpredictable, it’s authentic, and when you get local heroes; whether they’re from Saskatchewan, or neighboring Manitoba, whether they’re from BC (or) Nova Scotia, Canadians are going to support Canadians.”

The last UFC Fight Night held in Saskatoon was back in August of 2015.