UFC 168 has its first non-title fight booking confirmed. The Las Vegas Review Journal reported (and the UFC later confirmed) earlier today that top 10 heavyweights Josh Barnett and Travis Browne will meet on the big December 28th PPV:
Browne (15-1-1) achieved the biggest win of his career with a front kick KO of Alistair Overeem in the co-main event of UFC Fight Night: Shogun vs. Sonnen in Boston. "Hapa" was badly hurt to open the round and nearly finished, but Browne recovered and was able to find the range and timing to land his foot directly on Overeem's chin. The 31-year-old's only defeat came at the hands of Antonio Silva, a fight in which Browne also tore his hamstring.
Barnett (33-6) returned to the UFC with an almost comically non-competitive 1st round TKO of Frank Mir in the co-main event of UFC 164. His career has been marred by three different failed drug tests, one of which resulted in the removal of his UFC heavyweight title after beating Randy Couture. He's still managed to remain relevant in the division and is now in the UFC's top 10 after beating Mir, which puts him at 10-1 in his last 11.
Perhaps it's fitting that Mir and Overeem are pitted against each other at UFC 167 while the two men who beat them are also paired up for the following PPV.
UFC 168's main event is a highly anticipated rematch between middleweight champion Chris Weidman and Anderson Silva. The co-main is another rematch, as Ronda Rousey defends her women's bantamweight belt against Miesha Tate, whom Rousey defeated in Strikeforce.
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