Many expected that UFC heavyweight contender, Alistair Overeem, would be in line for an immediate title shot upon his return from a nine-month suspension. However, it appears that will not be the case, as there is a report (Las Vegas Review-Journal) stating that Overeem will face Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva at the UFC’s annual Super Bowl card, UFC 156 on February 2.
This fight nearly happened in Strikeforce during the Heavyweight Grand Prix. Silva defeated Fedor Emelianenko after the second round by doctor stoppage, while Overeem defeated Fabricio Werdum in a less than thrilling decision.
Overeem was then forced to pull out of the matchup against Silva, citing a foot injury and not enough time to rehab it before Strikeforce and Showtime wanted him to fight.
Silva instead faced tournament alternate, and eventual winner, Daniel Cormier, whom he lost to by first-round knockout. Overeem’s next fight would take place in the UFC against Brock Lesnar, whom he defeated by first-round TKO.
Overeem and heavyweight champion, Junior dos Santos, have been going back and forth saying that the other is afraid of them, and dos Santos even went as far to say as he’d rather face Overeem than current No. 1 contender, Cain Velasquez, for a second time.
Overeem was originally scheduled to face dos Santos at UFC 146 for the heavyweight title, but in a pre-fight drug test, Overeem’s testosterone-to-epitestosterone ratio was 14:1 when the highest accepted level is 6:1.
After his removal from the card and subsequent suspension, dos Santos faced Frank Mir, whom he defeated by second-round knockout. He’s now scheduled for a rematch with Velasquez which will take place at UFC 155 on December 29.
Should dos Santos and Overeem both come out on top in their upcoming fights, they will certainly be scheduled to meet each other in the not-so-distant future. It’ll be a fight between two of the biggest and baddest heavyweight strikers on the planet.
Tim McTiernan is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. For the latest news on everything MMA, follow him on Twitter @TimMcTiernan.
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