Return Of ‘The Reem’: UFC Fight Night 50 Gets Overeem vs. Rothwell

A potentially exciting heavyweight scrap has been added to the upcoming UFC Fight Night 50 card from Foxwoods Casino and Resort in Connecticut.

UFC officials confirmed today that No. 7-ranked Alistair Overeem will meet unranked Ben Rothwell on the September 5, card, which will air live on FOX Sports 1.

Overeem was last seen outstriking Frank Mir 139-5 en route to a clear-cut unanimous decision at UFC 169 in early February. Prior to that, however, the hulking “Reem” suffered two straight knockouts to heavyweight sluggers Travis Browne and Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva.

The former Strikeforce and DREAM champ has switched camps to train with Browne at Jackson’s MMA in New Mexico after blackzilians_ahead_of_ufc_169_frank_mir_fight_301597″>a much-publicized split with Florida’s Blackzilians team.

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Meanwhile, Rothwell has been out of action since a UFC 164 finish over the now-released Brandon Vera, a win that was later changed to a No Contest after “Big Ben” tested positive for elevated testosterone levels.

After serving his suspension, Rothwell has a golden opportunity to catapult onto the Top 15 rankings by defeating the puzzling “Reem,” who had been linked to a bout with Junior dos Santos.

Instead, he’ll meet a veteran of a different sort. Is it a bout tailor made for an Overeem knockout, or will his lackluster UFC run continue?

Photo: Joe Camporeale for USA TODAY Sports