Alistair Overeem vs. Francis Ngannou Booked for UFC 218 in Detroit
A new No. 1 contender in the heavyweight division will almost assuredly be determined on Dec. 2 when Alistair Overeem faces off with rising contender Francis Ngannou at UFC 218 in Detroit.
UFC officials announced the new matchup on Wednesday.
BREAKING: We have HW action in the Motor City! @AlistairOvereem takes on @Francis_Ngannou at #UFC218 in Detroit Dec. 2!
? ↔️ 10/13 pic.twitter.com/qadXzBsA33
— UFC (@ufc) September 27, 2017
Ngannou was originally scheduled to fight in September but he lost his opponent when former champion Junior dos Santos was pulled from the card after a potential anti-doping policy violation from USADA (United States Anti-Doping Agency).
Ultimately, the hulking French fighter was pulled from the card but now he’s set to face another tough opponent when he returns in December.
Looking to stop Ngannou’s run in the division will be Overeem, who looks for his third straight victory after falling to current heavyweight champ Stipe Miocic last September.
Overeem has earned wins against Mark Hunt and Fabricio Werdum in consecutive fights and he’ll attempt to add Ngannou’s name to his resume as he hopes to earn a second shot at Miocic in 2018.
Overeem vs. Ngannou is expected to serve as the UFC 218 co-main event with a headline fight still in the works for the card taking place in Detroit.
