Cain Velasquez to face Frank Mir in UFC Memorial Day fight

UFC Chairman Lorenzo Fertitta said former heavyweight champions Cain Velasquez and Frank Mir will headline the organization’s Memorial Day weekend fight card in Las Vegas on May 26.

Velasquez (9-1) lost his belt in November to new champion Junior Dos Santos, a first-round knockout in the UFC’s debut fight on Fox at Anaheim’s Honda Center.

Mir surrendered his interim claim on the belt to Brock Lesnar in July 2009, but the 32-year-old has rallied with triumphs over Mirko Filipovic, Roy Nelson and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira to earn this shot, which should propel the winner into position to fight the winner of the Dos Santos-Alistair Overeem bout.

Nelson will also fight former Strikeforce contender Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva on the Memorial Day card, Fertitta said Wednesday.