Junior Dos Santos vs. Stipe Miocic set as UFC on FOX 13 headliner in Arizona
December’s UFC on FOX 13 affair will have a decidedly heavyweight feel, as Junior dos Santos (16-3 MMA, 10-2 UFC) vs. Stipe Miocic (12-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) has been installed as the main event.
UFC officials today confirmed the booking following an initial report from FOXSports.com.
UFC on FOX 13 takes place Dec. 13 at U.S. Airways Center in Phoenix, Ariz. The night’s main card airs on FOX.
The matchup joins Alistair Overeem vs. Stefan Struve and Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Matt Mitrione as key heavyweight fights on the card.
Dos Santos and Miocic were originally expected to meet in May, but the former heavyweight champ suffered a hand injury and was forced to withdraw from the card. Miocic would go on to instead face Brazilian light heavyweight Fabio Maldonado in the TUF Brazil 3 Finale headliner, needing just 35 seconds to pick up the win.
For Miocic, it was his third-straight UFC win, and he now sits at No. 8 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA heavyweight rankings. Meanwhile, dos Santos resides at No. 2, sitting only behind UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez.
Meanwhile, Dos Santos hasn’t fought since October 2013, when he suffered a fifth-round TKO loss to Velasquez. This past week, the former champ told MMAjunkie he was “almost 100 percent†and was itching to book a fight.
While the bout order for the evening has yet to be revealed, the latest UFC on FOX 13 lineup now includes:
Junior dos Santos vs. Stipe Miocic
Alistair Overeem vs. Stefan Struve
Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Matt Mitrione
Drew Dober vs. Jamie Varner
Derek Brunson vs. Ed Herman
Bryan Barberena vs. Joe Ellenberger
