USA TODAY: UFC Fight Night 26's Browne, Overeem out to prove worth as contenders

(This story appears in today’s edition of USA TODAY.)

BOSTON – In October, UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez and former titleholder Junior dos Santos meet in their rubber match to decide who’s the better man in the octagon.

Shortly before that UFC 166 title fight, Daniel Cormier and Roy Nelson get the heavyweight conversation started on the same card. Late this month, Josh Barnett returns to the UFC after 11 years away, and Fabricio Werdum still waits in the wings.

Is there a clear No. 1 contender in the big-man division? Arguments can be made for several candidates on who is closest. Judging by the buildup to the UFC Fight Night 26 co-main event between Alistair Overeem (36-12 MMA, 1-1 UFC) and Travis Browne (14-1-1 MMA, 5-1-1 UFC), which airs Saturday on FOX Sports 1 (6 p.m. ET), the UFC is not ready to answer the question.

Despite former Strikeforce champ Overeem’s star status and Browne’s promising run, there is little talk of what comes next for either. Even the headliner of Saturday’s event at TD Garden in Boston is taken aback.

“That hasn’t been named the No. 1 contender match, which surprises me,” said Chael Sonnen, who meets Mauricio Rua in the main event before returning next week as a FOX commentator. “I think we’re all going to call for it on Monday morning, regardless of who wins.”

UFC President Dana White said during a news conference Thursday that the bout was a big fight in the heavyweight division and a big opportunity for the fighters. But he said he needed to see them fight before deciding their fates.

Maybe that makes sense. Overeem’s and Browne’s title plans were smashed by Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva, who subsequently was TKO’d in a rematch with Velasquez. Looking ahead in a division where fortunes change with one punch is a risky proposition for the UFC.

“I think I have just as much to lose as he does,” said Browne, who stopped Gabriel Gonzaga by TKO in April. “This is my shot to make my name. Losing to a guy like Alistair, all it does is put me way back in line. (If) he loses to a guy like me, he still has his persona. So to me, it’s do or die.”

Overeem, who returned to his native Netherlands to prepare for Saturday’s bout after training in South Florida for his two previous UFC fights, is motivated by a desire to not repeat the mistake he made in underestimating Silva, who knocked him out in February at UFC 156.

“Maybe my mind was dwelling on other things,” he said. “It’s never good to look too far ahead. I’m not really thinking about anything other than Travis. I’m not really thinking about my ranking or my position or any other fighters.”

But, he added, “I think I have unfinished business with every heavyweight in the UFC.”

For the latest on UFC Fight Night 26, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.

(Pictured: Travis Browne)