The UFC is bringing out some heavy hitters with their latest fight announcements. Both heavyweight Alistair Overeem and middleweight Kelvin Gastelum will officially make their returns back inside of the octagon. Overeem will face Alexander Volkov in a heavyweight main event. Additionally, Gastelum will take on Ian Heinisch on a date and venue that is yet to be determined.
Return of Overeem and Gastelum
News of both matchups was made public via ESPN’s Brett Okamoto. He took to social media to announce both men’s returns to the cage on separate fight cards.
Alistair Overeem's (@Alistairovereem) "one final run" at a UFC belt will meet Alexander Volkov (@AlexDragoVolkov) next. Overeem vs. Volkov to headline UFC Fight Night on Feb. 6, per Dana White (@danawhite). https://t.co/bKSRQCAGOn
— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) November 12, 2020
Alistair Overeem’s “one final run” at a UFC belt will meet Alexander Volkov next. Overeem vs. Volkov to headline UFC Fight Night on Feb. 6, per Dana White,” wrote Okamoto.
Kelvin Gastelum (@KelvinGastelum) and Ian Heinisch (@ianheinischmma) have agreed to meet at UFC Fight Night on Jan. 30, per sources. https://t.co/c5BvOzephR
— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) November 12, 2020
“Kelvin Gastelum and Ian Heinisch have agreed to meet at UFC Fight Night on Jan. 30, per sources.”
A Legendary Career
During his career, Alistair has won both the Dream and Strikeforce heavyweight titles. However, he has yet to capture the heavyweight title during his tenure in the UFC. When it comes to the heavyweight division, being 40 years of age isn’t considered old. The current champion Stipe Miocic is 37 while his immediate challenger Daniel Cormier is 41.
Overeem Shares Having Another Title Run Left in Him
Alistair took to social media to keep the message short and sweet. Having one more title run at UFC gold is the current plan at this stage of his career.
Gastelum Woes
Gastelum, however, is coming off of a three-fight losing streak. Nonetheless, the losses came from the likes of Israel Adesanya, Darren Till, and Jack Hermansson. He was also suspended by USADA for 9 months for testing positive for marijuana in association with his bout with Darren Till at UFC 244.
Regardless of their recent past encounters, MMA fans will be excited to see both of these warriors step inside the cage again.
