Almost 15 years since their first meeting within octagonJunior dos Santos and Fabricio Werdum will be bringing back their UFC 90 junk. But this time, they’ll leave the gloves at home.
Well-known sports journalist Ariel Halawani also reported on TwitterThe two former UFC heavyweight world champions will face off in a nude MMA match under Jorge Masvidal’s Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA banner on September 8. It will also feature Renan Barao vs. Shawn Soriano and Brandon Jenkins vs. Anthony Ngokwane
Junior dos Santos and Fabricio Werdum’s careers have taken very similar paths in recent years
Junior dos Santos and Fabricio Werdum are two of the most accomplished heavyweight fighters in the history of mixed martial arts. Their bout at UFC 90 ended after only 80 seconds into the contest as JDS scored a first-round knockout. The victory came early in an incredible 10-match winning streak for Dos Santos that eventually led to him winning the UFC Heavyweight title in November 2011. His title was short-lived, as he defended the crown against Frank Mir before returning it. To the same man who took it from him, Cain Velasquez.
As JDS, Fabricio Werdum captured the heavyweight title by defeating Velasquez at UFC 188. He would go on to lose the title less than a year later against the general consensus GOAT heavyweight, Stipe Musick.
The two men have only competed once since their exit from the UFC in 2020. Werdum has competed in one fight under the PFL banner while Junior dos Santos has fought for Khabib Nurmagomedov’s Eagle FC. JDS squared off with fellow UFC vet Jorgan de Castro in May 2022 and suffered a shoulder injury seconds into the third round, forcing him to stop. It was Dos Santos’ fifth consecutive loss via TKO.