Expand / Collapse search
Watch TV
Menu

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. ©2024 FOX News Network, LLC. All rights reserved. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Market data provided by Factset. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Legal Statement. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper.

UFC

Junior Dos Santos vs. Alistair Overeem official for FOX UFC Fight Night in Orlando

By Damon Martin FoxSports
Published | Updated
2a736c79-

Former UFC heavyweight champion Junior Dos Santos of Brazil stands on the scale during the UFC Fight Night weigh-in event at the Phoenix Convention Center on December 12, 2014 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images) Alistair Overeem of the Netherlands weighs in during the UFC 185 weigh-ins at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center on March 13, 2015 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

A huge heavyweight fight has been added to the upcoming FOX UFC Fight Night card in Orlando, Fla. as former champion Junior Dos Santos meets Alistair Overeem on Dec. 19.

UFC officials confirmed the new fight on Tuesday.

The fight between Dos Santos and Overeem will finally happen more than three years after they were originally set to meet inside the Octagon.

The two heavyweights were expected to face off in the main event of UFC 146 in May 2012, but Overeem was yanked from the card after he returned a pre-fight drug test with elevated levels of testosterone.

The card went ahead with Dos Santos defeating Frank Mir in the main event instead.

Now three years later, Dos Santos and Overeem will finally settle their differences with both fighters getting close to title contention.

It's been almost exactly one year since Dos Santos last fought when he won a unanimous decision over Stipe Miocic last December before suffering an injury to his knee that kept him out for most of 2015. Injuries have slowed Dos Santos down considerably in the last few years while only competing in three fights total in 2013 and 2014.

The matchup with Overeem will be Dos Santos' first trip to the Octagon this year.

Overeem last appeared in the Octagon in March when he won a lopsided decision over Roy Nelson for his second straight victory, overall. Overem has gone 3-1 over his last four fights as he approaches the showdown with Dos Santos in December.

Now Dos Santos and Overeem will meet at FOX UFC Fight Night in Orlando with the winner taking direct aim at a potential title shot in 2016.