According to Alistair Overeem, a victory over Francis Ngannou at UFC 218 gets him right back into the title picture.
Overeem told Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour Monday that UFC officials have told him a victory on December 2 would mean he gets the next crack at the heavyweight belt.
“I didn’t need to be — logical thinking,” Overeem said. “I’m ranked No. 1 now, so the way (I see it) I would be eligible to fight for the belt now, but I also stated that in previous interviews if I need to run through somebody else before, then we’re gonna do that. That is what it is right now.
“Again, I’m a fighter, I like to be active. To me, that is the best. Some fighters, they are not fighting for a year or a year and a half. I just need to get back in there every four or five months.”
Overeem (43-15) rebounded from a loss to Stipe Miocic last year for the belt by defeating Fabricio Werdum at UFC 213 in July. He is 6-1 over his last seven and is a former Strikeforce champion.
In Ngannou, Overeem is facing a fighter who has won all five of his Octagon bouts via stoppage.
“This is like a legit guy,” Overeem said. “You can see he’s strong as an ox. He’s motivated. He’s willing to fight. I will be kind of his first big name test. I’m very motivated as well. And it’s gonna be a great fight — great matchup.”
