The winner of Saturday’s heavyweight clash between Josh Barnett and Travis Browne is expected to square off with Fabricio Werdum in what would likely serve as a No. 1 contender’s bout for the UFC heavyweight title.
UFC 168 takes place Dec. 28 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas and is headlined by a middleweight title confrontation pitting reigning belt holder Chris Weidman against former longtime divisional kingpin Anderson Silva.
The evening’s pay-per-view card will also see Barnett collide with Browne, who enters his duel with “The Warmaster” riding back-to-back victories. “Hapa” last competed on Aug. 17, when he rebounded from a shaky start against Alistair Overeem to knock out the former Strikeforce champ at UFC Fight Night 26.
Like his foe, Barnett also rides a two-fight winning streak into the bout, as the ex-UFC champion choked out the overmatched Nandor Guelmino in January before making a successful Octagon return at UFC 164. Barnett knocked out Frank Mir in that Aug. 31 appearance, finishing his fellow former champion with a knee in just under two minutes.