Alistair Overeem will indeed get the next UFC heavyweight title shot.
UFC president Dana White confirmed the former Strikeforce title-holder will face the winner of the UFC 155 matchup between champion Junior dos Santos and Cain Velasquez.
“The winner of that fight will fight Overeem,” White said at the UFC 153 post-fight press conference Saturday in Brazil.
Overeem is currently serving a suspension for a failed drug test which will keep him out until the end of the year. White said that he can expect him to challenge for the belt as early as March or April next year.
Dos Santos and Velasquez, the former champion, are set to meet on Dec. 29 in Las Vegas, so the turnaround time for the next heavyweight title bout would be about as short as is normally the case.
Overeem, who is 1-0 in the UFC after defeating Brock Lesnar at UFC 141 last December, was set to fight dos Santos for the belt at UFC 146 in May before testing positive for elevated testosterone levels prior to the fight. Frank Mir replaced him and was knocked out by dos Santos.
While Overeem is eligible to apply for a fight licence on Dec. 27, it would be extremely unlikely he would be able to take part in the event two days later.
In other UFC news:
The Colorado Boxing Commission has confirmed that Jake Shields was suspended six months for testing positive for a banned substance following his UFC 150 win over Ed Herman, according to MMAjunkie.com. He was also fined $5,675 and the result of the Aug. 11 bout in Denver has been changed to a no contest.
Shields also released a statement Monday through his representatives at Authentic Sports Management:
“To my friends, fans and the UFC,
Prior to my professional bout at UFC 150 in Denver, Colorado, I used a substance prohibited by Colorado Boxing Commission rules.
This was a mistake that I fully regret. I have shared this issue with my family and the UFC and I have apologized to them and now I also apologize to you, the fans. I promise this will never occur again in my fighting career.
I accept the Boxing Commission’s decision for a six-month suspension, which will expire in February. I ask that you accept my apology. I will be back fighting soon, and hope that the fans of MMA will support me until that time.”
UFC on FX 5 salaries
The Minnesota Office of Combative Sports released salary figures for the Oct. 5 event in Minneapolis.
Co-main event winner Jake Ellenberger and headliner Antonio Silva earned the biggest paydays. Ellenberger got $84,000 — including a $42,000 win bonus — for his defeat of Jay Hieron, while Silva took home a flat $70,000 for his knockout of Travis Browne. Silva, whose contract may have been carried over from what he signed while under UFC sister promotion Strikeforce, had no win bonus.
Here is the full list of fighter salaries:
Antonio Silva: $70,000
defeated Travis Browne: $20,000
Jake Ellenberger: $84,0000 (including $42,000 win bonus)
defeated Jay Hieron: $12,000
John Dodson: $30,000 (including $15,000 win bonus)
defeated Jussier Formiga: $9,000
Justin Edwards: $20,000 (including $10,000 win bonus)
defeated Josh Neer: $16,000
Michael Johnson: $28,000 (including $14,000 win bonus)
defeated Danny Castillo: $25,000
Mike Pierce: $44,000 (including $22,000 win bonus)
defeated Aaron Simpson: $25,000
Marcus LeVesseur: $12,000 (including $6,000 win bonus)
defeated Carlo Prater: $10,000
Jacob Volkmann: $40,000 (including $20,000 win bonus)
defeated Shane Roller: $25,000
Diego Nunes: $32,000 (including $16,000 win bonus)
defeated Bart Palaszewski: $12,000
Darren Uyenoyama: $16,000 (including $8,000 win bonus)
defeated Phil Harris: $8,000
