Lance Pugmire at the L.A. Times is reporting former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar will return to action after a second bout with diverticulitis against former Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem. The bout will be a five-round main event on December 30th at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
According to the report, the Strikeforce title is not on the line. In addition, the winner of this bout will face the winner of the Cain Velasquez vs. Junior dos Santos.
"Brock is a big name, a dangerous guy, and this is a dream matchup," Overeem told The Times on Tuesday, just after signing a standard UFC fight contract in the office of Chairman Lorenzo Fertitta. "Brock's a big guy, an exciting wrestler with his takedowns.
"I want to see this fight myself. Overall, I'm a different fighter. A striker, athletic, big. These are going to be two big trucks going at it on a collision course."
UFC management expressed their enthusiasm for the bout:
"This is the fight the fans want," UFC President Dana White said. "Both of these guys are monsters. Can Lesnar take Overeem down?"
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"Our thinking when we bought Strikeforce was to give fans the fights they want," Fertitta said. "Obviously, Alistair's one of the best heavyweights in the world, but he also has that 'it' factor -- the tremendous look, he's huge. It's a star factor."
No further information was available on the terms of Overeem's agreement with the UFC.
Notably, this is not part of the UFC's tradition of Saturday night fights as December 30th is a Friday.
More on this story as it develops.
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