Sorry Ben Rothwell.

The UFC has booked the heavyweight contest between former champion Andrei Arlovski and the surging Stipe Mioic for the co-main event of UFC 195 in January.

This news comes just days after it was revealed an injury had Miocic was forced out of his scheduled bout with Rothwell at UFC Fight Night 76 this weekend. The LA Times was the first to report the news. As a result of Miocic’s injury, Rothwell had been campaigning for a shot at Arlovski to determine the next number one contender for the UFC’s heavyweight division. However the UFC had other plans.

Arlovski (24-10) will enter this bout riding a six fight win streak, including his last four inside the Octagon. In his bout most recent fights, ‘The Pitbull’ walked away with a lackluster decision win over another former champion in Frank Mir. Prior to this win, Arlovski scored back-to-back first round knockouts over Travis Browne and Antonio ‘Bigfoot’ Silva. His win over Browne has widely appeared on the  shortlist for the 2015 Fight of the Year.

Miocic (13-2) was last seen earning a dominant fifth round TKO win over former title contender Mark Hunt at UFC Fight Night 65 in May. During the bout, the Cleveland native set a UFC record for the most strikes landed in a fight, outlanding Hunt 361 – 48.

Prior to this performance, Miocic suffered a heart-breaking decision loss to former champion Junior dos Santos following their thrilling  back-and-forth war in main event of UFC on FOX 13 in December. Both men earned Fight of the Night honors for their efforts. This setback snapped Miocic’s three fight win streak, which included victories over Roy Nelson and Gabriel Gonzaga

UFC 195 takes place Jan. 2 at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. A welterweight title fight between Robbie Lawler and Carlos Condit is expected to serve as the main event.

 

 

About The Author

News Manager

José began his career as a mixed martial arts journalist while still enrolled at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communications at Arizona State University. Since graduating in May 2013, he has attended dozens of high profile UFC fight cards as a credentialed member of the media, providing live cage side coverage through his articles and videos. His work has appeared on UFC.com, ArizonaSports.com and AZCentral. He is also currently one of the main contributors on Power MMA Show at Arizona Sports 98.7 FM, one of the first all MMA radio shows on a major radio station.