UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic. AP Photo / John Locher
AP Photo / John Locher / John Locher
STIPE MIOCIC HAS been granted a hometown title defence for his first outing as the UFC’s heavyweight champion.
Miocic will put the belt on the line against Alistair Overeem on 10 September in the main event at UFC 203, which will take place at Cleveland’s Quicken Loans Arena — home of NBA side the Cleveland Cavaliers.
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The newly-crowned champion, who dethroned Fabricio Werdum with a stunning first-round KO earlier this month, made the announcement during last night’s Eastern Conference finals game five between the Cavs and the Toronto Raptors.
Miocic will be aiming for his fourth consecutive victory in the octagon since a December 2014 loss to Junior Dos Santos, having earned his title shot against Werdum with stoppages of Mark Hunt and Andrei Arlovksi.
After a rocky start to life in the UFC after his move from Strikeforce — which saw him lose three of his first five bouts — Overeem has moved into title contention thanks to four wins on the trot, the most recent of which saw him defeat Arlovski via second-round TKO in Rotterdam just over a fortnight ago.
Newly-crowned heavyweight champion to make first title defence at UFC 203
STIPE MIOCIC HAS been granted a hometown title defence for his first outing as the UFC’s heavyweight champion.
Miocic will put the belt on the line against Alistair Overeem on 10 September in the main event at UFC 203, which will take place at Cleveland’s Quicken Loans Arena — home of NBA side the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The newly-crowned champion, who dethroned Fabricio Werdum with a stunning first-round KO earlier this month, made the announcement during last night’s Eastern Conference finals game five between the Cavs and the Toronto Raptors.
Miocic will be aiming for his fourth consecutive victory in the octagon since a December 2014 loss to Junior Dos Santos, having earned his title shot against Werdum with stoppages of Mark Hunt and Andrei Arlovksi.
After a rocky start to life in the UFC after his move from Strikeforce — which saw him lose three of his first five bouts — Overeem has moved into title contention thanks to four wins on the trot, the most recent of which saw him defeat Arlovski via second-round TKO in Rotterdam just over a fortnight ago.
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Alistair Overeem Cleveland cavalier mixed martial arts MMA Stipe Miocic UFC UFC 203 Ultimate Fighting Championship