Roy Nelson vs. Alistair Overeem slated for UFC 185 in Dallas

Roy Nelson

Two of the heavyweight division’s hardest hitters will meet in March at UFC 185.

Roy Nelson (20-10 MMA, 7-6 UFC) and fellow vet Alistair Overeem (38-14 MMA, 3-3 UFC) have agreed to meet at the show. UFC officials today announced the fight.

UFC 185 takes place March 14 at American Airlines Center in Dallas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on FOX Sports 1 and UFC Fight Pass. As recently announced, UFC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis (18-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC) meets Rafael dos Anjos (23-7 MMA, 12-5 UFC) in the headliner.

Overeem is ranked No. 8 and Nelson is No. 10 in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA heavyweight rankings.

Nelson, who has won three straight fights a nearly two years ago, most recently suffered a knockout loss to Mark Hunt in September. The 38-year-old former IFL champion and “The Ultimate Fighter 10? champion is now 1-3 in his past four fights, which also included losses to Daniel Cormier and Stipe Miocic.

He now meets Overeem, who knocked out Stefan Struve this past month to rebound from a recent 1-3 skid. After the knockout victory, the 34-year-old former Strikeforce champion and K-1 world grand prix champ said he planned to take some time off but instead will have a relatively quick return to the cage.

The latest UFC 185 card now includes:

• Champ Anthony Pettis vs. Rafael dos Anjos – for lightweight title
• Roy Nelson vs. Alistair Overeem

For more on UFC 185, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.