When you defeat the former champion in just under three minutes it is hard to want an instant rematch and that is why Stipe Miocic finds himself making his first defense against Alistair Overeem. Miocic’s rise to the top was not metric by any standards having fought ten times in the Octagon before getting his title shot. He only attained his title shot after two straight TKO wins over Andrei Arlovski and Mark Hunt, but before that he has taken out by decision in a fight against former champion Junior dos Santos. Now, he is about to face someone who may even have an odder road then him toward the title shot and potential championship.
Alistair Overeem was red hot and a monster when he signed with the UFC. With ten straight wins and a debut knockout of former UFC Heavyweight champion Brock Lesner, he was ready for the big times and lined up for a fight with then champion AJDS, but a failed drug test knocked him out of the fight. Then he came back what looked to be extremely deflated from his former self where he went on a 1-3 streak where he was knocked out in every fight. A nice four fight winning streak brought his career back to life though wins over Roy Nelson, a TKO of JDS and a TKO of Andrei Arlovski brought him tot his point, but if he wants to make this happen he will have to do so in hostile territory.
The two will face off in the main event of UFC 203 which is set to take place in Cleveland, Ohio. This is Stipe’s hometown and will have a large contingency of fans that have to desire for an Overeem win. Will the kickboxing star have a chance of dethroning the new champion with little fan support behind him?