After 52 years of championship drought, the city of Cleveland has claimed the UFC heavyweight championship and the NBA Finals in 2016.
Born and raised Ohioan Stipe Miocic will look to give the region another championship moment on Saturday, when he defends his title against Alistair Overeem at UFC 203 inside Cleveland's Quicken Loans Arena.
In addition to the main event, a second high-profile heavyweight matchup between former champion Fabricio Werdum and Travis Browne will take place, as well as the long-awaited MMA debut of former professional wrestling star Phil "CM Punk" Brooks.
Let's take a closer look at this welterweight rematch. Don't agree with the pick? Let me know on Twitter: @bokamotoESPN.
Main event
Stipe Miocic (15-2) vs. Alistair Overeem (41-14)
Heavyweight championship
Odds: Miocic -145; Overeem +125
Time flies, doesn't it? We are now five years and 10 fights into Overeem's career in the UFC, and the truth is: He has thoroughly dominated his opposition. But in the rare moments things have gone bad for Overeem, they have gone spectacularly bad.
There's a good chance that trend continues in Cleveland. Generally speaking, this isn't a bad matchup for Overeem. Miocic is a capable boxer with a power right hand, is an above-average wrestler and a mentally composed champ -- but it's hard to find an area where he holds a sizable technical advantage. If we're looking at straight-up skill in hand-to-hand combat, Overeem gets the nod. He's the far more experienced of the two and just brings a much more versatile playbook into the Octagon than Miocic.
But similar observations could have been made before every one of the three UFC fights Overeem lost. In a 25-minute fight, Overeem is always at risk for one of those aforementioned "bad moments." And those have typically occurred after he has gassed himself out.
Miocic is a definite threat in terms of simply outlasting Overeem. He's extremely durable, which he needs to be, as there's a good amount of risk in his pressure-oriented style. He prefers to be the one in charge, pressing forward behind the jab and the left hook, maintaining that boxing range and creating windows to throw the hammer -- his right hand. He has the wrestling shot at his disposal, but in the past and particularly in this matchup, the threat of that shot might be more effective than the shot itself. In other words, it's unlikely Miocic will wrestle his way to his first title defense, but the constant threat of him getting a takedown adds a layer to this standup fight.
When Overeem fought another boxer-based striker in former champ Junior dos Santos, he all but shut down the Brazilian's forward movement with circular movement and constant, constant feints. Overeem's feints were so intelligent and effective in that matchup that dos Santos' pace slowed to a boo-inducing crawl; he was eventually reacting so much to every movement that it was almost easy for Overeem, who is terrific at misdirection, to set up whatever shots he wanted. Miocic can't fall victim to similar tactics, and based on his skill set, his best counter is likely to not react to the feints at all. Bell to bell, bully through them and get to that preferred boxing range.
As notoriously dangerous as Overeem's clinch striking is, it's an area Miocic probably can't shy away from. There aren't many tools in MMA as intimidating as Overeem knees, but in order for Miocic to cut off the cage and consistently get in Overeem's face like he needs to, he has to be prepared for the clinch. The good news is that as the fight progresses, that clinch should favor him more and more based on his cardio. Given Overeem's history in the UFC, even if Miocic loses rounds early, he'll still be in a strong position to finish later on provided he is surviving and forcing Overeem to work.
One thing to really watch is how Overeem attacks the lower body. Those side kicks to the lead leg, a staple of Jackson-Wink MMA, could be very effective in breaking the pace Miocic wants to set. Front kicks to the body and, of course, the knees any time they lock up could essentially erase Miocic's cardio advantage. And if it all adds up to Miocic being unable (or unwilling) to keep up his aggression, Overeem will have stacked the deck in his favor.
Prediction: To be clear, there is a darn good chance Miocic sets Cleveland on fire with a one-punch, right-hand KO ... but my pick is the other way. Overeem via TKO, third round.
Featured undercard bouts
Fabricio Werdum (20-6-1) vs. Travis Browne (18-4-1), heavyweight
Repeat of a fight from 2½ years back, a decision loss that remains Browne's worst night ever in the Octagon. Redemption? Crazy things happen at heavyweight, but odds are against it.
Prediction: Werdum, 30-27 decision.
CM Punk (0-0) vs. Mickey Gall (2-0), welterweight
Not a whole lot of information to base this prediction on. Punk is brand-new, as is Gall. At the very least, Gall looks the part of a young prospect with natural skill. Punk is 37 and coming off back surgery.
Prediction: Gall via rear-naked choke, first round. And bonus prediction: Punk does fight again.
Urijah Faber (33-9) vs. Jimmie Rivera (19-1), bantamweight
How many times has Faber been in this spot? Coming off a title loss, accepting a lesser known opponent in a potential "hangover" situation ... fourth time in four years we've been here! Faber has never suffered back-to-back losses, does it happen here?
Prediction: Rivera by decision.