It's not a fight that I'm sure many expected to be booked, but nevertheless Alistair Overeem's next fight is set to be against Ben Rothwell at UFC Fight Night in Connecticut on September 5th. This is the 2nd major announcement for a card that previously had just two other fights confirmed heading into today.
Overeem (37-13, 1 NC) ended his two-fight losing skid with an overwhelming and dominant unanimous decision win against Frank Mir at UFC 169. Rothwell (33-9) was last seen ending the career of two-division champion hopeful Brandon Vera at UFC 164, but there is an asterisk for that TKO win. He tested positive for elevated testosterone levels, but the win stands because the state of Wisconsin only issued him a warning. However, the UFC suspended him for 9 months.
In case you're wondering, this fight is not even the main event. Gegard Mousasi vs. Ronaldo Souza has gone from UFC 176 co-main event to the main event of this show. Overeem vs. Rothwell will be the co-main event for this Fox Sports 1 televised show.