Junior dos Santos will defend his UFC heavyweight title against Alistair Overeem at UFC 146 in May, according to UFC chairman and CEO Lorenzo Fertitta.
Fertitta made the announcement on Twitter Thursday night while answering questions from fans.
The Memorial Day weekend event is tentatively scheduled to take place on May 26 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. However the event has not been officially announced by the organization.
Dos Santos (14-1) became the heavyweight kingpin after he defeated Cain Velasquez by knockout in 64 seconds at UFC on FOX 1 in November. The 27-year-old has won nine consecutive fights (seven by knockout or TKO) and has not lost since 2007. The Brazilian’s list of victims in the UFC includes: Fabricio Werdum, Shane Carwin, Roy Nelson, Mirko (Cro Cop) Filipovic, Gabriel Gonzaga, Gilbert Yvel and Stefan Struve.
The champion is coming off knee surgery but has said he is recovering well and will be 100 per cent healthy when he defends his title for the first time.
Overeem (36-11-1 NC) is coming off a first-round TKO win over Brock Lesnar that sent the former wrestling star into retirement. Like Dos Santos, Overeem has been on a roll, going unbeaten since 2007. The Dutchman has notable wins over Werdum, Vitor Belfort, Sergei Kharitonov, Todd Duffee and Mark Hunt.
The 31-year-old is currently facing misdemeanor battery charges stemming from an incident in Las Vegas during New Year’s Eve weekend, but it is not expected to interfere with him competing in the UFC.
There are no other rumoured bouts for UFC 146 at this time.
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