With former Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem (36-11, 1NC) failing a surprise pre-fight drug test, rumors are running rampant as to who will replace the Dutch fighter versus UFC title holder Junior dos Santos (14-1) at next months UFC 146 event.
The general consensus across the web was that former champ Frank Mir (16-5) was the best candidate to step in versus Dos Santos. Mir is currently scheduled to face former champ Cain Velasquez (9-1) in a No. contender bout.
UFC president Dana White has stepped in to put an end to that rumor, answering a fans questions on Twitter (@DanaWhite) about whether Mir vs. Cain would happen.
– “Mir vs Cain will happen”
UFC 146 is scheduled to take place on May 26, 2012 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
This still leaves the door wide open for anyone to step in.
Currently there is a Twitter campaign #RallyForMarkHunt to get re-surging heavyweight Mark ‘Super Samoan’ Hunt (8-7) in the Octagon versus Dos Santos.
Hunt has won three straight since dropping his UFC debut at UFC 119 in September 2010. Since then he’s gone on to defeat Chris Tuchscherer at UFC 127, Ben Rothwell at UFC 135, and most recently, Cheick Kongo at UFC 144.
Whether White pays any attention to this fan campaign, there are other fan requests to pit Dos Santos against Fedor Emelianenko, Dan Henderson, and Fabricio Werdum.