Fertitta announces Junior Cigano x Alistair Overeem for May

In a question and answer session with fans on Twitter, UFC co-owner Lorenzo Fertitta announced the date of the first defense of the UFC belt. Junior Gypsy. The Santa Catarina native will face the Dutch challenger alistair overeem at the Memorial Day weekend event.

A holiday that honors war heroes in the USA, Memorial Day takes place on the last Monday in May. In 2012, the holiday will be on May 28th. Thus, Cigano and Overeem will face each other on the 26th, probably at UFC 146.

The Brazilian won the belt at UFC On FOX 1, when he beat Cain Velazquez in the eighth triumph in the same number of fights for the UFC. Overeem qualified for title contention after winning Brock Lesnar in the title eliminator at UFC 141, in December. The Dutchman arrived in the UFC sporting the Strikeforce heavyweight belt.

This wasn't the only fight Fertitta announced to fans on Twitter. He further said that his next opponent Frank mir will be the former champion Cain Velazquez and confirmed the third meeting between the former light heavyweight champions Forrest griffin e Tito Ortiz.

Mir went on a three-fight winning streak after losing the interim belt fight to Shane carwin. The former champion won Rodrigo Minotauro in December, at UFC 140. Velasquez saw his unbeaten record crumble when Junior Gypsy took the belt from him in November, in the first event broadcast live on FOX.

The duel between Griffin and Ortiz should mark the latter's farewell after fifteen years as a professional. The fighters faced each other for the first time in 2006, at UFC 59, with Tito winning a close split decision. Forrest got his revenge in 2009, when he beat his opponent at UFC 106, also in a double fight, judged split by the judges.

Photo: Donald Miralle/Zuffa LLC