UFC News: Stipe Miocic set to defend his title against Junior Dos Santos at UFC 211
What’s the story?
UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic has a chance to exact revenge and defend his title at the same time at UFC 211 in Dallas on May 13, where he will face Junior Dos Santos in a rematch as first reported by Combate.
UFC recently posted on Twitter confirming the clash of the heavyweights
In case you didn’t know...
Stipe Miocic won the belt by knocking out Fabricio Werdum in the first round at UFC 198. This will be his second title defence, as Miocic had earlier defeated Alistair Overeem at UFC 203, in his hometown at Cleveland.
Miocic and Dos Santos had earlier engaged in an epic five-round clash at UFC on FOX 13 in 2014, where Dos Santos emerged out to be the winner via a unanimous decision.
The heart of the matter
‘Cigano’ was originally supposed to fight Stefan Struve at UFC Fight Night on February 19 at Halifax, but the bout was canceled as Struve had to pull out due to a shoulder injury. Dos Santos then asked for a replacement fight against Fabricio Werdum, but even this fight fell short as UFC could not book it.
Meanwhile, Stipe Miocic had been waiting for an opponent to defend his title against. The cancellations helped pave the way for a rematch between Miocic and Dos Santos, giving the champion a chance to avenge his earlier defeat.
Miocic has won his last four fights by KOs since his loss to Dos Santos and even went on to win the heavyweight belt, while ‘Cigano’ only had two appearances since then with mixed results. He is, however, coming off a dominant victory over Ben Rothwell.
What Next?
Stipe Miocic will be looking to defend his title for the second time when he faces Junior Dos Santos in their rematch at UFC 211. In their first fight, Dos Santos was the healthy favourite but this time around the UFC heavyweight champion Miocic will open as the favourite to win this fight.
Sportskeeda’s Take
If this rematch will be anything like their first encounter then all the UFC fans are in for a treat. However, a lot has changed since the last time these two fighters faced off inside the Octagon. Miocic has been on a rampage ever since while ‘Cigano’ has been struggling with injuries. Nevertheless, this fight has the recipe for another epic battle written all over it.