by King Hazard
Former UFC heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum lost the gold to Stipe Miocic two weeks ago at UFC 198 in Brazil. Many expected the Brazilian to get an immediate rematch, but it’s not the case anymore.
According to a UFC announcement on Wednesday, Miocic will make his first title defense against Alistair Overeem in the main event at UFC 203 in Cleveland, Ohio. Overeem is currently coming off an impressive win over Andrei Arlovski at UFC Fight Night 87 earlier this month, defeating the former champion by technical knockout in the second round. Overeem is also now riding a four-fight winning streak over top heavyweight contenders such as Junior dos Santos, Roy Nelson, and Stefan Struve.
As for Miocic, the Croatian mixed martial artist caught Werdum at UFC 198 with a short right hook counter while backpedaling away from a flurry of punches in the first round, earning the championship and giving Werdum his first defeat since June 2011. Miocic recently defeated Mark Hunt and Arlovski in January.
UFC 203: Miocic vs. Overeem takes place on September 10, 2016 at Quicken Loans Arena. This fight card marks the UFC’s first visit to Cleveland, and its first event in Ohio since UFC Fight Night 40.
Stay Connected