Dana White Confirms Winner Of Ngannou vs. Overeem Earns Next Title Shot

UFC President Dana White has officially gone on record by saying that the heavyweight bout at UFC 218 between Alistair Overeem and Francis Ngannou will be a No. 1 contender fight in the heavyweight division.

This bout will serve as the co-main event of the evening at Little Caesars Arena following prelims on FS1 and UFC Fight Pass. With less than 24 hours until they step in the octagon, the stakes have been officially raised.

White noted that who wins this bout will next step in the octagon with reigning heavyweight titleholder Stipe Miocic. If you recall, Overeem lost to heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic by first-round knockout at UFC 203 just 14 months ago.

“Whoever wins is going to fight Stipe,” White told reporters during a media scrum, which MMAjunkie attended, following Friday’s The Ultimate Fighter 26 Finale event in Las Vegas.

There have been some questions about Miocic’s status over the past few months after he revealed he was seeking a better contract with the promotion. He last fought at UFC 211 in May where he picked up a first-round knockout of Junior Dos Santos.

White said everything has been sorted with his champion and he will be ready to fight the Overeem vs. Ngannou winner.

“We get (expletive) done,” White said. “We always figure it out. We’re in a good place.”

When healthy, former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez has proven to be as good as any heavyweight in MMA history. White noted he’s not currently part of the conversation to fight Miocic. This includes even when Velasquez is cleared for competition. The UFC President expects that he will take another fight before moving into a title bout.

“Cain? When’s the last time you saw Cain fight?” White said. “Cain hasn’t fought in forever. Cain’s going to have to come back and fight somebody to even think about that spot. I’m sure Cain doesn’t want to come back and jump right in the fire. He’s been out for a while.”