UFC 146's lineup is getting bigger and bigger – both literally and figuratively.
UFC officials today announced that former UFC heavyweight champions Cain Velasquez (9-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC) and Frank Mir (16-5 MMA, 14-5 UFC) will meet at the May event.
The winner gets a guaranteed title shot against either champion Junior Dos Santos or Alistair Overeem, who meet in the night's headliner.
UFC 146, which also includes heavyweights Roy Nelson vs. Antonio Silva, takes place May 26 at Las Vegas' MGM Grand Garden Arena. The main card airs on pay-per-view while FX carries the prelims.
Velasquez vs. Mir is expected to take the co-headlining slot.
Velasquez fights for the first time since November, when he lost his belt to Dos Santos in a 64-second UFC on FOX 1 headliner. Prior to that, the former NCAA Division I All-American wrestler opened his career with a 9-0 mark that included eight knockouts. He won his belt with a TKO of Brock Lesnar, but after a yearlong layoff due to an injured shoulder, he lost it to Dos Santos in his next bout.
Unlike most UFC fights, officials haven't booked a recent loser against another recent loser. In fact, Mir recently has continued a career resurgence with a three-fight win streak over Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic (KO), Nelson (decision) and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (a come-from-behind submission). In fact, his only losses in his past nine fights have come in title fights to Lesnar and Shane Carwin.
The latest UFC 146 card now includes:
Champ Junior Dos Santos vs. Alistair Overeem (for heavyweight title)
Frank Mir vs. Cain Velasquez
Edson Barboza vs. Evan Dunham
Roy Nelson vs. Antonio Silva
Dan Hardy vs. Duane "Bang" Ludwig
Diego Brandao vs. Darren Elkins
C.B. Dollaway vs. Jason "Mayhem" Miller
Shane Del Rosario vs. Gabriel Gonzaga
Kyle Kingsbury vs. Glover Teixeira
Paul Sass vs. Jacob Volkmann
Source: Cain Velasquez vs. Frank Mir title-eliminator added to UFC 146