Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC
The Reem has another UFC main event on the horizon.
The UFC will have heavyweights take center stage for its Super Bowl weekend show.
Dana White told ESPN’s Brett Okamoto that Alistair Overeem is set to face Alexander Volkov in a five-round clash on February 6th. Official rankings have Overeem and Volkov #5 and #6 respectively, so there’s a lot at stake here for both men.
Overeem (47-18-1 NC) is still going strong at 40 years of age. He’s won four of his last five, including TKO finishes of Augusto Sakai and Walt Harris in his last two fights. Only the heavy-handed Jairzinho Rozenstruik has bested him during this stretch, and Rozenstruik was behind on the scorecards prior to his fifth-round KO. This is undoubtedly Overeem’s last realistic run at becoming UFC champion to cap off his career.
Volkov (32-8) bounced back from his loss to Curtis Blaydes with a one-sided TKO victory over Walt Harris at UFC 254 last month. The former Bellator champ won his first four UFC fights before his dramatic loss to Derrick Lewis, who knocked him out in the dying seconds of the final round in a fight he was clearly losing. Volkov was actually supposed to face Overeem last year but withdrew for undisclosed reasons, and then eventually returned with a decision win over Greg Hardy.
The location of this fight has not yet been determined. ESPN+ and/or ESPN will broadcast the event.