Junior Dos Santos vs. Stipe Miocic targeted for UFC on FOX 13

Former UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos recently told MMAjunkie he was hoping for a December return. It looks like he may get his wish.

Dos Santos (16-3 MMA, 10-2 UFC) is expected to fight fellow contender Stipe Miocic (12-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) later this year at UFC on FOX 13.

Although UFC officials haven’t made a formal announcement, the heavyweight bout is in the works, “UFC Tonight’s” Ariel Helwani reported Wednesday.

UFC on FOX 13 takes place Dec. 13 at U.S. Airways Center in Phoenix. The main card airs on FOX following prelims on FOX Sports 1 and UFC Fight Pass.

Dos Santos is ranked No. 2 and Miocic is No. 8 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie.com MMA heavyweight rankings. They were initially targeted for a May fight, but a hand injury sidelined the ex-champ.

In fact, Dos Santos hasn’t fought since an October 2013 title loss to champ Cain Velasquez, whom he initially lost the title to 10 months earlier. The 30-year-old Brazilian striker is 11-2 (with nine stoppages) over his past 13 fights, and both defeats came to Velasquez.

Miocic, meanwhile, looks for his fourth consecutive win following decision victories over Roy Nelson and Gabriel Gonzaga, as well as a TKO win over Fabio Maldonado. The well-rounded 32-year-old Ohioan notched his eighth knockout in 12 career wins with the “Performance of the Night” effort against Maldonado.

For more on UFC on FOX 13, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.

(Pictured: Junior Dos Santos)