UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos will defend his title for the first time against Alistair Overeem in a fight that is expected to take place at UFC 146, the UFC’s Memorial Day weekend event on May 26 in Las Vegas, UFC co-owner Lorenzo Fertitta announced overnight on Twitter.
Dos Santos (14-1) knocked out Cain Velasquez in just 64-seconds to claim the title at UFC on Fox 1 in November, but entered the fight with a knee injury and has been recovering from surgery since. Meanwhile, the former Strikeforce champion Overeem (36-11) faced Brock Lesnar in his Octagon debut at UFC 141 in December and knocked out the former-title holder in the opening round to earn a shot at the belt.
Overeem’s recent citation for misdemeanor battery following his UFC 141 victory is not expected to have an impact on the matchup.
