Stipe Miocic Set to Defend Heavyweight Title Against Alistair Overeem at UFC 203 in Cleveland

UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic will look to defend his belt for the first time against Alistair Overeem at UFC 203 in his home town of Cleveland on Sept. 10. UFC officials broke the news on Wednesday afternoon.

Overeem (41-14), a former Strikeforce & Dream champion as well as the 2010 K-1 Grand Prix champion, is currently riding a four fight win streak. In his most recent effoert, fans saw “The Reem score a violent second round knockout over former UFC champion Andrei Arlovski earlier this mont.

This marked Overeem’s second straight finish with his previous being knockout victory over former another former champion in Junior Dos Santos. He will enter this bout with 37 career stoppage wins, including 19 by way of knockout.

Miocic (15-2), a Cleveland native, earned his heavyweight crown with a stunning first round knckout over then champion Fabricio Werdum at UFC 198 earlier this month.

Miocic previously earned his title shot with a blistering 54-second knockout over Arlovski in January. Prior to this performance, fans saw him demolish former title contender Mark Hunt en route to fifth round TKO. During the bout, Miocic set a UFC record for the most strikes landed in a fight, outlanding Hunt 361 – 48. He will enter this contest with 11 career stoppage wins, including 10 by way of (T)KO.