Stipe Miocic didn’t have to wait long to find his first challenge for the UFC Heavyweight Championship. The promotion announced Wednesday that the champ will return to the ring Sept. 10 for a bout against Alistair Overeem at UFC 203.
The event will take place in Cleveland, marking the first UFC pay-per-view at Quicken Loans Arena. Miocic, 33, is an Ohio native who is coming off a first-round knockout of Fabricio Werdum at UFC 198.
A bout between Miocic and Overeem had been expected. Overeem is red-hot, winning four straight fights and five of his last six. The 36-year-old veteran has been on the precipice of the championship a number of times before, most notably after knocking out Brock Lesnar in 2011. However, two straight losses sent him to the back of the line and forced him to work his way back up.
UFC.com ranks Overeem as the No. 3 contender in the heavyweight division. Werdum defeated No. 2 Cain Velasquez at UFC 188, so Overeem is the obvious next contender.
Fourth-ranked heavyweight Junior dos Santos has already gone on record as picking Miocic in a romp, telling The MMA Hour, per Shaun Al-Shatti of MMA Fighting:
If it happens, I’m going to give the advantage to Miocic again over Overeem. I don’t think Overeem has what it takes to beat Miocic. Miocic is really hard. Do you remember my fight against him, against Miocic? It was one of the toughest fights I’ve ever had. He hits very hard. He’s got really heavy hands, so I think when I watch Miocic fight and Overeem fight, I think Miocic is way better than him.
Miocic lost to Dos Santos via decision in December 2014 on a Fox network special. It’s the only time Miocic has lost in his last seven fights, and he earned his last four victories by knockout. Each of Overeem’s last five losses dating back to his Pride Fighting Championship days has come via knockout.
If Dos Santos’ assessment of things turns out to be correct, Miocic might have a short day at the office in his first title defense.
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