Little over a year ago, Alistair Overeem and Frank Mir were two of the UFC heavyweight division’s top contenders. These days, the two are both in desperate need of a win. On Nov. 16, one of them will find victory at the other’s expense. The two have agreed to face off at UFC 167, the UFC confirmed to FOX Sports on Thursday.
The fight’s possibility was first reported by The Las Vegas Review-Journal.
The former UFC heavyweight champion Mir (16-8) is just days removed from his third straight loss, which came in the UFC 164 co-main event at the hands of Josh Barnett. The TKO loss was disputed by Mir, who bounced up off the mat immediately after ref Rob Hinds stopped the action, though most observers didn’t criticize the decision. That defeat followed losses to Daniel Cormier and Junior dos Santos.
After winning his UFC debut, Overeem (36-13, 1 no contest) has suffered two straight knockout losses, being stopped by first Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva, and more recently Travis Browne. Prior to the rough stretch, he’d been unbeaten in 12 straight.
The match takes place on the fast-forming card to be held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. On Wednesday, a bout between Rashad Evans and Chael Sonnen was announced to go along with the UFC welterweight championship headliner between Georges St-Pierre and challenger Johny Hendricks.
The show will serve as the 20th anniversary of UFC 1, which took place on Nov. 12, 1993 in Denver.
