Up and coming heavyweight contender Francis Ngannou has finally landed a high-profile fight against former champioin Andrei Arlovski at UFC On FOX 23 in Denver, Colorado on January 28th.
The match-up comes just a week after Ngannou notched up his fourth victory in a row inside the Octagon with a first round kimura submission against Anthony Hamilton at UFC Fight Night 102.
The UFC’s aging heavyweight division has been crying out for fresh blood for some time and the 30 year-old Frenchman appears to fit the bill, and a win against a big name like Arlovski could be the key to unlocking a place in the division’s top 10 rankings.
As for the 37 year-old Arlovski, this is a must win fight to prove he still has what it takes to hang in the division after a tough spell that’s saw him suffer three losses in a row.
That being said, those defeats came against three of the divisions top talents in current champion Stefan Struve, Alistair Overeem and Josh Barnett, so he’ll no doubt be hoping that getting an opportunity to fight a less experienced opponent will work in his favor.
The UFC On FOX 23 fight card is now filling up rapidly, with a woman’s bantamweight fight between top contenders Valentina Shevchenko and Julianna Pena set to take on headline duties, while Donald Cerrone Vs Jorge Masvidal and Hector Lombard Vs Brad Tavares are also expected to feature on the card.
