Stipe Miocic faces Alistair Overeem at UFC 203 in Cleveland
Stipe Miocic ended a 52 year championship drought for the city of Cleveland when he won the UFC heavyweight title, and now he'll put the belt on the line in his hometown as he faces Alistair Overeem at UFC 203.
Miocic made the announcement during the Cavaliers game on Wednesday while also confirming that the event would take place on Sept. 10 at Cleveland's Quicken Loans Arena.
Heavyweight Champ @StipeMiocicUFC just announced some exciting news at The Q:@UFC is coming to @TheQArena on 9/10!https://t.co/ykaJWgrbM3
— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) May 26, 2016
FOX Sports first reported the possibility of the card in Cleveland, and now the show and the main event are official.
Miocic will look to make the first defense of his newly-won heavyweight title after knocking out Fabricio Werdum in the first round of their fight at UFC 198 in Brazil.
As soon as he returned home to Ohio, Miocic was celebrated by everybody in town, including a hero's welcome from teams like the Cavaliers and the Cleveland Indians.
Now the hometown favorite will bring the UFC to the Land with a heavyweight title fight headlining the card.
Overeem will get his first crack at the belt since joining the promotion as he looks to steal the spotlight away from native son Miocic.
The Dutch Overeem is coming off four consecutive fight wins, including victories over former heavyweight champions Junior dos Santos and Andrei Arlovski.
Miocic vs. Overeem is the first fight confirmed for UFC 203 in Cleveland. Check back for more bouts expected to be announced in the coming weeks.
