Junior dos Santos vs. Stipe Miocic headlines UFC's FOX event in December
The UFC's FOX show in December has a main event -- and it's big.
Former UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos will meet top contender Stipe Miocic in the five-round headliner at UFC Fight Night on FOX on Dec. 13 in Phoenix, Ariz., FOX Sports has learned. UFC officials confirmed the information Friday evening. Dos Santos-Miocic has been rumored for a few weeks now. Tickets to the U.S. Airways Center show go on sale Oct. 10.
Dos Santos and Miocic were originally supposed to fight back in May in Brazil, but dos Santos broke his hand only a few weeks before the fight and had to withdraw. Miocic ended up dispatching fill-in Fabio Maldonado by knockout in just 36 seconds. Both are back healthy now and cleared for this pivotal heavyweight bout. Dos Santos is ranked No. 2 among contenders and Miocic is No. 4.
Dos Santos (16-3) has two losses in his last three fights, but they were both title bouts with current champion Cain Velasquez. Dos Santos beat Velasquez for the belt on FOX in 2011 and has fallen to him twice since. This bout against Miocic is massive for the 30-year-old Brazilian knockout artist, because a win keeps his name in the title conversation.
Miocic (12-1) is one of the hottest fighters in the division with three straight wins, including a dominant unanimous decision over No. 8 Roy Nelson last year. The 30-year-old Ohio native could potentially earn a title shot with a victory over dos Santos. Miocic's only career loss came against Stefan Struve in 2012.
UFC Fight Night on FOX already has two other intriguing heavyweight matchups booked. On Friday, FOX Sports reported that Matt Mitrione and Gabriel Gonzaga would square off and earlier this week a bout was announced between Alistair Overeem and Stefan Struve.
