A pair of heavy hitters are ready to throw down in Alberta, as rising star Francis Ngannou is set to face former heavyweight champions Junior Dos Santos at UFC 215 in Edmonton on Sept. 9.
The UFC confirmed the bout Wednesday.
Ngannou has gone 5-0 since debuting in the UFC less than two years ago with all five of his wins coming by stoppage. His latest victim was Andrei Arlovski, as Ngannou earned a TKO in just 92 seconds back in January.
Dos Santos has alternated wins and losses since 2012 and suffered a TKO defeat to current champion Stipe Miocic at UFC 211 in May.
Miocic’s next title defence is unclear in terms of when it might take place and whom it might be against. Cain Velasquez is the logical next challenger, however his health is always in question. Fabricio Werdum and Alistair Overeem are slated to meet at UFC 213 and the winner will be in the conversation too despite both having lost to Miocic in the past 14 months.
A win over dos Santos could potentially set Ngannou ahead of the pack and secure him a title shot.
Also on the Rogers Place card, the UFC announced unbeaten light-heavyweight Tyson Pedro is scheduled to take on Ilir Latifi.
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