LAS VEGAS (AP) — Brock Lesnar will return to the UFC’s octagon on Dec. 30, fighting former Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem at the MGM Grand Garden.
UFC President Dana White confirmed the matchup Tuesday on Twitter.
Lesnar is the UFC’s biggest pay-per-view draw, but the former pro wrestler hasn’t fought since losing the heavyweight title to Cain Velasquez last October.
Lesnar is a former college wrestling champion, but his mixed martial arts career has been slowed by a prolonged bout of diverticulitis, an intestinal ailment. He has fought just twice since July 2009, most recently dropping out of a fight with Brazil’s Junior Dos Santos in June.
Overeem is a 6-foot-5 Dutch kickboxing champion who fought for several promotions in recent years, winning the Strikeforce heavyweight title before the UFC purchased the promotion.
