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Fabricio Werdum, Ben Rothwell set for UFC 203 heavyweight clash

Former UFC heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum will look to get back on track to regain his championship when he faces Ben Rothwell at UFC 203 from the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland on Sept. 10. The announcement came during the UFC Fight Night 88 main card on Fox Sports 1.

Fabricio Werdum will fight Ben Rothwell at UFC 203 in Cleveland.
Fabricio Werdum will fight Ben Rothwell at UFC 203 in Cleveland.

Werdum will be on the same card with the man who knocked him out to take his title at UFC 198 as Stipe Miocic will headline in his hometown against Alistair Overeem for the UFC heavyweight championship.

The Brazilian will look to reset after losing for the first time in seven fights when Miocic dropped him with one punch. Before then, Werdum had one of most intriguing stories in MMA. After losing to Overeem in 2011 at the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix, he appeared to turn a corner and peeled off six straight victories that culminated in beating Cain Velasquez for the UFC heavyweight title at UFC 188 last June.

His opponent has experienced a similar resurgence over the past few years. Rothwell had won four straight fights after lingering in heavyweight mediocrity and was on the cusp of a title shot until he dropped a unanimous decision to Junior dos Santos in April. Before then, Rothwell strung together four straight finishes against the likes of Brandon Vera, Alistair Overeem, Matt Mitrione and Josh Barnett.

The winner will likely be placed right back into the thick of the heavyweight title hunt.