Former UFC heavyweight champions Fabricio Werdum and Junior dos Santos are set to face each other for a third time…
This time in a grappling match at Kings Championship on August 8 in Florianopolis, Brazil!
The two Brazilian veterans have already met twice in MMA, with dos Santos winning both bouts.
Their first fight took place in 2009 at UFC 90, when dos Santos made his UFC debut against a highly ranked Werdum.
“Cigano” shocked many by knocking Werdum out in just 81 seconds, launching the beginning of his rise through the heavyweight division.
Dos Santos would go on to win six more fights in a row before winning the UFC heavyweight title with a knockout victory over Cain Velasquez.
Werdum, meanwhile, eventually became one of the most accomplished heavyweight grapplers and MMA fighters of his era.
A multiple-time ADCC and IBJJF world champion, he later won the undisputed UFC heavyweight belt by submitting Velasquez after first winning the interim title against Mark Hunt.
The pair met again in 2023 under bare-knuckle MMA rules, where dos Santos once again earned the victory, winning by decision.
Since then, Werdum has not competed, while dos Santos continued fighting, including a knockout win over Alan Belcherbefore suffering a loss to Robelis Despaigne at the inaugural MVP MMA event earlier this year.
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