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White says Atlanta will host UFC event in September

As the Ultimate Fighting Championship lands for another go around in the U.K., UFC 85 takes place on Saturday at the O2 Arena in London, the company's president, Dana White, announced another expansion of the company's reach in the U.S. market.

In a recent interview with ESPN The Magazine, he stated that the UFC will hold an event in September in Atlanta, Ga. White also indicated the event in Atlanta would mark Chuck Liddell's return to the Octagon.

Though no venue was announced, sources indicate that the UFC will operate the September event, expected to be dubbed UFC 88, at the Philips Arena. The venue is a 21,000-seat arena that recently hosted its first mixed martial arts event, which was run by the American Fight League.

Liddell was supposed to have headlined Saturday's UFC 85 event, against Mauricio "Shogun" Rua initially. Following a Rua knee injury, however, Rashad Evans stepped in to face the former UFC light heavyweight champion. Then, for the first time in his career, Liddell had to withdraw from the card due to a severe hamstring injury.

UFC 85 is now headlined by a bout pitting two-time former UFC welterweight champion Matt Hughes against American Top Team fighter Thiago Alves.

White also indicated in the interview that he would be making a significant announcement next week that, he expects, will shake up the mixed martial arts world.

There has been no reliable information on what the announcement is, but most speculation centers on a possible television deal that White has been working towards for the past couple of years.