Curtis Blaydes vs. Alistair Overeem close to being finalized for UFC 225

With the UFC heading to Chicago on June 9th, heavyweight contender Curtis Blaydes is just about lined up to fight in his hometown.

Following a report from BJPenn.com, ESPN’s Brett Okamoto reported on Saturday night that a fight between Blaydes and Alistair Overeem is almost a done deal for UFC 225 at the United Center. The night’s main card airs live on pay-per-view, with prelims on FS1.

Blaydes (9-1-1 NC) is coming off a huge win over Mark Hunt at UFC 221, by far the biggest of his career. He survived a first-round knockdown and repeatedly took down and beat up Hunt on the ground to secure victory in enemy territory. His only defeat was by doctor’s stoppage TKO against recent title challenger Francis Ngannou.

Overeem (43-16-1 NC) fought Ngannou at UFC 218, and was wiped out in less than two minutes, marking the 11th time he’s been stopped by strikes in his MMA career. The former Strikeforce and DREAM champion had beaten Mark Hunt and Fabricio Werdum in his two fights prior to the Ngannou loss. He is still #2 in the UFC’s heavyweight rankings, whereas Blaydes is #5.

UFC 225 currently has a strawweight bout between Claudia Gadelha and Carla Esparza, as well as the return of flyweight contender Joseph Benavidez, who’ll be fighting Sergio Pettis.