Alistair Overeem Says He’s Ready To Fight Francis Ngannou

The hype behind heavyweight contender Francis Ngannou has made him the man to watch at 265 pounds.

While his UFC 215 opponent Junior Dos Santos was pulled from the card due to a USADA violation, Alistair Overeem has offered his services for a late-fall to early-winter showdown with the French wrecking machine.

While his UFC 215 opponent Junior Dos Santos was pulled from this weekend’s (Sept. 9, 2017) card due to a USADA violation, Alastair Overeem has offered his services for a December showdown with the French wrecking machine.

Overeem discussed a possible fight with Ngannou and laid out a timeline for when fans could see the two juggernauts locked in the cage together rather soon (via MMAWeekly):

“Francis is a very strong guy and he’s doing really good. If the UFC calls me and say let’s do this, then I’ll certainly say yes. I think he’s bigger than me. He’s a challenge and I just see it as a motivation; somebody trying to take something away from me.

“I’m thinking November, December. I just became a dad again for the third time, so first things first, last month was family time, ever since my fight with Werdum. But yeah, I’m open. If the UFC call me and say lets do this, then I’ll certainly say yes.”

Overeem bounced back from a failed title bid against Stipe Miocic at UFC 203 but has since rebounded with wins over Mark Hunt and Fabricio Werdum.

Meanwhile, Ngannou hasn’t fought since a first-round KO over Andrei Arlovski in January, handing him a long layoff when the JDS match fell apart after Dos Santos was notified of a doping violation last month. The UFC tried to find a replacement to keep Ngannou on the card, but eventually pulled him from UFC 215 entirely.

Would you be interested in an Overeem vs. Ngannou matchup? Who do you see winning between the two?