After a rocky start to his Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) career, former Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem was able to find his footing inside the Octagon and rattle off three straight wins (including this one), which may put him in line for a division title shot.
Eventually.
That's according to Stipe Miocic, who insists he has first dibs on the winner of Fabricio Werdum vs. Cain Velasquez (because of this) when they battle at UFC 196 next month in Las Vegas. Sure, "Demolition Man" is a tough out, but his knockout losses to lesser-ranked competition stand out like a sore thumb.
Miocic elaborates to Submission Radio:
"It's always in the back of my mind, but you know, I think I'm more deserving. Overeem is super tough. He's a tough guy, he's been on a little streak, but I definitely feel like I'm more deserving than he is. The last three guys I fought are top five in the world, and he's got three guys behind him that knocked him out in the first round."
Miocic is ranked No. 2, while "The Reem" is tied with Andrei Arlovski at No. 3.
Overeem, who is still negotiating his return to the Octagon, was roasted by Antonio Silva (No. 13), Travis Browne (No. 6), and Ben Rothwell (No. 7). On the flipside, the Dutchman can argue he stopped former heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos, while Miocic was outpointed by "Cigano" in late 2014.
To see the complete list of top 15 heavyweights click here.
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