Trilogy fight between Alistair Overeem, Fabricio Werdum targeted for UFC 213 in Las Vegas

A heavyweight bout between former champion Fabricio Werdum and recent title challenger Alistair Overeem is targeted for UFC 213.

A person with knowledge of the pending matchup confirmed the news to MMAjunkie following an initial report from Flocombat.com. The person requested anonymity given the non-public negotiations involved in the fight.

A UFC official today told MMAjunkie the bout is not officially set.

UFC 213 takes place July 8 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, the promotion’s official home in Sin City. Main-card fights air on pay-per-view following prelims on FS1 and UFC Fight Pass.

The booking marks the third pairing of Werdum (21-6-1 MMA, 9-3 UFC) and Overeem (42-15 MMA, 7-4 UFC), who’ve split two previous bouts. The two first met in 2006 under the now-defunct PRIDE banner, with Werdum winning via first-round submission. They fought a rematch five years later under the now-defunct Strikeforce promotion, and Overeem emerged with a unanimous decision in a lackluster fight.

Werdum takes the rubber match after a rematch with ex-champ Cain Velasquez was cancelled at last December’s UFC 207 when Velasquez wasn’t medically cleared. Werdum accepted a replacement bout against ex-champ Junior Dos Santos, but the promotion balked at his financial terms. He lobbied for a title shot, but the UFC subsequently awarded Dos Santos the opportunity against champ Stipe Miocic.

Standing in Werdum’s way is Overeem, who recently got back in the win column after a brush with the title. A knockout of Mark Hunt earlier this month at UFC 209 put “The Reem” on better footing after Miocic knocked him out in a seesawing first-round brawl at UFC 203. Better yet, he did it after overcoming a nasty bout of food poisoning that necessitated several IV bags.

Both Overeem and Werdum want another crack at the title, and they’ll have to go through each other again to get it.

For more on UFC 213, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.