UFC 111: St-Pierre vs. Hardy was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) on March 27, 2010 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, United States.

The UFC Primetime series returned to build up the UFC Welterweight Championship fight between GSP and Dan Hardy. It was the first time a British fighter had ever fought for a UFC title.

Martin Kampmann was originally set to fight Ben Saunders, but Kampmann was replaced by Jake Ellenberger, due to a deep cut suffered in training by Kampmann.

Ricardo Funch was forced to pull out of a fight against Matthew Riddle for an undisclosed reason. UFC newcomer Greg Soto was his replacement.

Spike TV broadcast three preliminary bouts one hour before the live PPV broadcast began.

This event was seen in movie theaters throughout the United States via National CineMedia's Fathom event distribution service. Also, it was shown at the Cineplex Odeon chain in Canada.

On March 10, 2010 it was announced that the event was officially sold out.

Dana White (born July 28, 1969) is the current President of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), a mixed martial arts organization based in the United States.

Born in Manchester, Connecticut on July 28, 1969, White grew up in Las Vegas, Nevada, Ware, Massachusetts and Levant, Maine. White is a passionate Boston Red Sox fan. During his youth, he bounced back and forth between Boston and Maine. He attended the University of Massachusetts Boston but did not finish; however, while there he did launch a boxing program for inner-city youth.

White has a background as an aerobics instructor. In 1992, White established Dana White Enterprises in Las Vegas. He conducted aerobics classes at three gyms in the Las Vegas area and began managing MMA fighters Tito Ortiz and Chuck Liddell.

While working as a manager, White learned that Semaphore Entertainment Group, the parent company of the UFC, was looking for a buyer for the UFC. White contacted childhood friend Lorenzo Fertitta, an executive at Station Casinos, and a former commissioner of the Nevada State Athletic Commission. Within a month, Lorenzo and his older brother Frank bought the UFC, with White installed as its president. White currently owns about 9% of Zuffa, LLC, the entity the Fertitta brothers created to own and manage the UFC.

Dan Hardy (born May 17, 1982) is an English professional mixed martial artist who competes in the welterweight division. A professional MMA competitor since 2004, Hardy fought in various promotions such as Cage Force and Cage Warriors before signing a contract with the Ultimate Fighting Championship in 2008. He was the final Cage Warriors welterweight and light-welterweight champion. His nickname comes from the screen name he used on the Cage Warrior forum when he was looking for training partners after a disagreement with a coach and his former training partners were forbidden to work with him.

Hardy defeated Akihiro Gono via split decision in his UFC debut at UFC 89. Gono was left swollen and bloody by several of Hardy's left hooks. Gono rocked Hardy on several occasions. In the third round Gono pushed Hardy to the canvas and while there landed an illegal knee to the head of the downed fighter causing the fight to be stopped for a lengthy period and a point deduction for Gono. Hardy recovered and went on to win the split decision. The judges saw the bout 29–28 (twice) for Hardy and 29–28 for Gono.

Georges St-Pierre (French pronunciation: [ʒɔʁʒ sɛ̃ pjɛʁ]; born May 19, 1981), often referred to as GSP, is a French Canadian mixed martial artist and the current Welterweight Champion of the UFC. St-Pierre is ranked as the No. 1 Welterweight in the world according to Sherdog, and numerous other publications. St-Pierre is ranked the No. 2 pound for pound fighter by ESPN sports,Yahoo! Sports (in 2011) and Sherdog. In 2008, 2009, and 2010 he was named the Canadian Athlete of the Year by Rogers Sportsnet.

Georges St-Pierre was born on May 19, 1981 in Saint-Isidore, Quebec, to Roland and Pauline St-Pierre. St-Pierre had a difficult childhood, attending a school where others would steal his clothes and money. He started learning Kyokushin karate at age seven from his father and later from a Kyokushin Karate Master to defend himself against a school bully. He took up wrestling and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu after his karate teacher died (at this point he also trained in boxing). Before turning pro as a mixed-martial artist, St-Pierre worked as a bouncer at a Montreal night club in the South Shore called Fuzzy Brossard and as a garbageman for six months to pay for his school fees.

Francisco Santos Miranda, III (born May 24, 1979), better known as Frank Mir, is an American mixed martial artist, as well as a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Kenpō Karate.

Mir, one of the most accomplished heavyweights in MMA history, is a two time UFC Heavyweight Champion . He currently holds the record for most victories in the heavyweight division of the UFC with 14 and most wins by submission in UFC Heavyweight division history with 8. He is also the only man in UFC history to win a bout by toe hold. As of January 2012 he is ranked the #4 In the ESPN MMA Power Rankings.He holds the distinction of being the first and only man to both knock out and submit MMA legend Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira. Mir is the only person to submit former UFC Heavyweight Champion and NCAA Division I wrestler Brock Lesnar and highly regarded striker Cheick Kongo. Frank Mir has had more fights in the UFC than anyone else currently competing in the heavyweight division.

His father convinced him to begin wrestling, on the basis that it could help him avoid submissions. Mir then began wrestling at Bonanza High School in Las Vegas, Nevada where during his junior year he lost his first nine matches. During his senior year (1998) he went 44–1 and won the state championship. He was also on the school's football team that reached the Southern Zone semifinals in 1997 and where he played as fullback and defensive end. He also took up track and field in 1998 where his discus throw of 177 feet, 10 inches is still a Sunset Regional record.