Free UFC DVD at LIDS. Seriously…No ‘Choke’!

An estimated 55,000 rabid fans are expected to pack Toronto's Rogers Centre for Saturday's Ultimate Fighting Championship 129 event. All but a handful are sure to be cheering for Canada’s own and current welterweight champ Georges St-Pierre against Jake Shields in the April 30, 2011 headline match among the 11 bouts scheduled. St-Pierre is from Saint-Isidore, Quebec.

“They are going to be booing me like crazy,” said Shields at a recent press conference. “There’s no way to prepare for 55,000 people booing you.”

It is all smiles and cheers at LIDS, however, as its Toronto-area stores are brimming with the latest UFC headwear. While supplies last, visitors to Toronto-area stores can pick up a free DVD of UFC highlights with a UFC hat purchase.

Fifty-five thousand people to watch two people compete in a 750-square foot octagon – not to mention an international pay-per-view television audience – is pretty impressive. There is no denying the popularity of UFC. According to compete.com, an agency that tracks website traffic, UFC was the sixth most popular sport in the United States back in 2007, and its popularity doesn’t seem to have slowed in recent years.

No matter the sport, you can count on LIDS to have the latest and greatest officially licensed headwear.

Who is your pick to hoist the championship belt on Saturday night, St-Pierre or Sheilds and why?