MMAOddsBreaker.com has confirmed with a source close to the situation that UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic will defend his title against former champion Cain Velasquez at UFC 216 on October 7th at T-Mobile Arena. BJPenn.com’s Chris Taylor was the first to report the news on Monday.
I am told that the UFC is aiming to have a heavyweight title fight between Stipe Miocic and Cain Velasquez headline #UFC216 this October.
— Chris Taylor (@CTaylor_96) July 17, 2017
Miocic (17-2) captured the heavyweight title at UFC 198 in May 2016 when he knocked out Fabricio Werdum in the first round. Since then, the Cleveland native has successfully defended the belt twice, earning back-to-back knockout victories over Alistair Overeem and most recently Junior Dos Santos at UFC 211 in May. The 34-year-old hasn’t lost a fight since 2014 and is riding a five-fight win streak.
Meanwhile, Velasquez (14-2) has been plagued with injuries throughout his career and has fought just twice since late 2013. The former heavyweight champion lost his belt to Fabricio Werdum at UFC 188 before rebounding with a first-round TKO victory over Travis Browne at UFC 200 in July 2016. The American Kickboxing Academy Product was slated to face Werdum in a rematch at UFC 207, but he was pulled off the card due to health concerns.
Stay tuned to MMAOddsBreaker.com for more updates on this card.
