Tag: Junior dos Santos

Video: Ex-UFC champ Junior Dos Santos wins Gamebred title in bloodbath vs. Alan Belcher

Junior Dos Santos took the gloves off to become a champion once again.

[autotag]Junior Dos Santos[/autotag] took the gloves off to become a champion once again.

At Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA on Saturday at Kia Center in Orlando, Fla., Dos Santos defeated fellow ex-UFC fighter [autotag]Alan Belcher[/autotag] to become the promotion’s first-ever heavyweight champion.

Blood covered portions of the canvas, though the fight only lasted a little over nine minutes with the stoppage at 4:39 of Round 2.

Both men had their moments throughout the bout, but Dos Santos had the final one. As the clock wound down in Round 2, Dos Santos connected with a big left hook that floored Belcher. Dos Santos rained down right hands until the referee stepped in, saving Belcher from further damage.

Dos Santos, 40, was elated after the fight as he hinted at a potential next fight vs. Roy Nelson, a fellow heavyweight staple who he defeated at UFC 117 in August 2010. Dos Santos moves to 2-1 post-UFC. Following his UFC departure, Dos Santos lost by TKO due to injury against Yorgan De Castro under the Eagle FC banner before a successful bareknuckle MMA debut vs. Fabricio Werdum.

Belcher, 39, loses for the first time in combat sports in over a decade. His previous loss was at UFC 159 vs. Michael Bisping. The bout was his final in the UFC and preceded an eight-year hiatus from competition.

In 2021, Belcher, a former middleweight, returned as a heavyweight. Before Saturday, he went 5-0 in gloved boxing, 4-0 in bareknuckle boxing, and 1-0 in bareknuckle MMA.

The full Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA results include:

  • Junior Dos Santos def. Alan Belcher via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 4:39 – for heavyweight title
  • Chase Sherman def. Alex Nicholson via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 3:57
  • Handesson Ferreira def. Karl Roberson via unanimous decision
  • TJ Brown def. Joshua Weems via submission (arm-triangle choke) – Round 2, 0:22
  • Jesse Ronson def. Anthony Njokuani via submission (kimura) – Round 1, 2:46
  • Brandon Jenkins def. Tyler Hill via TKO (punches) – Round 3, 2:12
  • Anvar Boynazarov def. Marlon Gonzales via knockout (knee and punches) – Round 1, 0:13
  • Joe Penafiel def. Charles Bennett via TKO (ground-and-pound) – Round 3, 3:49

Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA results, full event video: Junior Dos Santos vs. Alan Belcher

Watch the Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA replay for free here, including Junior Dos Santos vs. Alan Belcher and more!

Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA returned Saturday with a former UFC heavyweight champion atop the card.

The eight-fight event took place at Kia Center in Orlando, Fla., with a handful of notable names throughout the card .

Check out the replay video above and full results below:

Photos: Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA weigh-ins and fighter faceoffs

Check out these photos from the Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA weigh-ins and final fighter faceoffs in Florida.

Check out these photos from the Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA weigh-ins and fighter faceoffs ahead of the event featuring [autotag]Junior dos Santos[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Alan Belcher[/autotag], which takes place at Kia Center in Orlando, Fla. (Photos courtesy of Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA)

11 former UFC fighters set to compete at Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA

Nearly a dozen UFC vets are set for the next iteration of Jorge Masvidal’s gloveless MMA promotion.

Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA is back with more UFC alumni than ever before.

The next iteration of [autotag]Jorge Masvidal[/autotag]’s gloveless MMA promotion takes place March 2 at Kia Center in Orlando, Fla., and features 11 former UFC fighters on the fight card. The event will stream live and free on YouTube.

The event will be the fourth of its kind. The promotion held three events in 2023, all of which featured various notable names.

Scroll below to see the near-dozen UFC alumni set to compete.

Junior Dos Santos explains importance of ending rivalry, becoming friends with Fabricio Werdum

Former UFC champ Junior Dos Santos was once a bitter rival to Fabricio Werdum, but needed to bury the hatchet after their second fight.

Former UFC heavyweight champion [autotag]Junior Dos Santos[/autotag] is glad to be able to move past differences with a fellow former Brazilian champ.

In 2008, Dos Santos made his UFC debut against Fabricio Werdum. Dos Santos finished Werdum in just 81 seconds, marking an exit from the promotion, and thus sparking a bitter rivalry. Werdum would return to the UFC four years later, but didn’t cross paths with Dos Santos.

Their second meeting would come 15 years after the first at Gamebred Bareknuckle 5. Dos Santos once again claimed victory, but the fight went o the scorecards as they were both trying to figure out how to best operate without gloves. More importantly for Dos Santos, that allowed him to clear some things up during the fight.

“We always were feeling this rivalry between us,” Dos Santos told MMA Junkie Radio. “… That’s why the fight was important to go by the points because we had a little bit of more time in the cage, so we were able to talk to each other finally. I was able to talk with coach Rafael (Cordeiro) and explain that it doesn’t make any sense for us to keep this rivalry going. We’ll never fight again, you know?”

Things have come full circle for Dos Santos, who admits he admired Werdum as a young fighter on the rise. He understands why the rivalry existed while at the height of their careers, but now Dos Santos says he and Werdum are friends. The next time Dos Santos goes to Brazil, he’s planning on being a guest on Werdum’s podcast.

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“The truth is, before our fight, I was a fan of Fabricio Werdum – of him and Big Nog,” Dos Santos said.”… I used to admire Fabricio Werdum a lot as well, because he was the Brazilian representative in the world for the heavyweights. And then after the fight, everything that we said, everything the way things happened made this rivalry between us, and we never talked to each other again. I was never able to say something about that because we were feeling that rivalry.

“But now, after 15 years, we were able to fight each other again and finally I was there. I said, ‘Man, if I have nothing, I’m thankful. I fought you back in the day. I admire your career, actually. Fifteen years later we are here fighting again. I remember my debut when I fought you, I was fighting Fabricio Werdum, the guy who was a big name at that time. The guy who was supposed to fight for the title already, and I was doing my debut in the UFC.’ Everybody was talking about that. So the world was able to notice me because I was fighting Fabricio Werdum, so I’m thankful for that.”

Dos Santos is preparing to compete in bareknuckle MMA again in March, this time against another UFC vet Alan Belcher. “Cigano” has found happiness competing in bareknuckle, as he said his first experience was the first time in his entire career he could actually be in the moment.

“I think we are even getting better as human beings, as men that we are because we are able to focus our energy on the real competition, not on this ‘Blah, blah, blah,’ and things like that, ” Dos Santos said. “We go there, we sell a fight, of course. But then we go there and we put on a good show, and that’s it. Everything stays there. So, I feel good about it.”

Ex-UFC champ Junior Dos Santos says hardest punch he ever took was from Stipe Miocic

Junior Dos Santos’ pick for hardest hitter he’s ever faced might surprise a lot of people.

[autotag]Junior Dos Santos[/autotag]’ pick for hardest hitter he’s ever faced might surprise a lot of people.

Dos Santos, the former UFC heavyweight champion, fought the who’s who of big men during his octagon tenure. From devastating knockout artist Francis Ngannou, to Cain Velasquez, to Mark Hunt, and the UFC record holder for most knockout wins, Derrick Lewis, Dos Santos has faced it all.

But it was none of those names who stand out to Dos Santos as the man who landed the hardest punch on him. Dos Santos revealed to MMA Junkie Radio that another ex-champ, [autotag]Stipe Miocic[/autotag], landed a punch in their first fight in December 2014 that impacted him more than any other he’s ever been hit with.

“The hardest was Stipe Miocic in the first fight that I won,” Dos Santos told MMA Junkie Radio. “In the second round of the first fight, he connected with a cross on my face. It was very, very hard. I couldn’t see, and I couldn’t even hear. I was there, I was fine, I knew what was happening, but my vision was very blurry, almost black.

“The noise was bing (makes ringing noise) in my ear, and I couldn’t hear. I was trying to find him. Where is he? Luckily, he came closer to me, so then I held him for a little and I was breathing and kind of recovering. So, that was the hardest punch I ever took from a fighter. When they ask me this question, who hit me the hardest, it was Stipe Miocic who’s a very, very hard hitter of course.”

After earning a split decision win over fellow ex-UFC titleholder Fabricio Werdum last September, Dos Santos is set to take on former BKFC heavyweight champ Alan Belcher for the inaugural heavyweight title of Jorge Masvidal’s Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA on March 2 at Kia Center in Orlando, Fla.

Meanwhile, Miocic is expected to challenge UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones next – a rebooking of their UFC 295 matchup that fell apart after Jones withdrew due to injury.

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MMA Junkie Radio #3428: Guest Junior Dos Santos, UFC Fight Night 234 recap, more

Check out the latest episode of MMA Junkie Radio with “Gorgeous” George and “Goze.”

Monday’s edition of MMA Junkie Radio with “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” is here.

On Episode 3,428, the fellas welcome in former UFC heavyweight champion [autotag]Junior Dos Santos[/autotag], who will be facing Alan Belcher at Gamebred MMA for the inaugural heavyweight title. The fellas also recapped UFC Fight Night 234, and the latest MMA news. Tune in!

Junior Dos Santos vs. Alan Belcher inaugural Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA heavyweight title fight set on March 2

Junior Dos Santos and Alan Belcher will decide the inaugural heavyweight champ of Jorge Masvidal’s Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA organization.

[autotag]Junior Dos Santos[/autotag] and [autotag]Alan Belcher[/autotag] will make history when they decide the inaugural heavyweight champion of Jorge Masvidal’s Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA organization.

Masvidal announced on Tuesday that former UFC heavyweight champion Dos Santos and former BKFC heavyweight champ Belcher will clash in a five-round gloveless MMA contest on March 2 at Kia Center in Orlando, Fla. Broadcast plans were not revealed, but tickets go on sale Jan. 17.

https://www.instagram.com/p/C15wV8zNLnt

Dos Santos, 39, earned his position in the title bout with a split decision victory over fellow ex-UFC titleholder Fabricio Werdum at Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA 5 in September.

Belcher, 39, meanwhile, defeated longtime veteran Roy Nelson by split decision at Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA in November to punch his ticket in the title bout.

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Gamebred Bareknuckle 5 results: Junior Dos Santos bloodies Fabricio Werdum in bizarre split decision

A judge scored the main event of Gamebred Bareknuckle 5 for Fabricio Werdum, but Junior Dos Santos rightfully walked away with the win.

For the second occasion, former UFC heavyweight champions [autotag]Junior Dos Santos[/autotag] and Fabricio Werdum met inside a cage. This time there were no gloves shrouding their fists, but once again, Dos Santos would emerge the victor.

The bareknuckle MMA bout headlined Gamebread Bareknuckle 5, which took place Friday at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla. After three rounds of action, Dos Santos earned two 30-27 scorecards from the cageside judges. Somehow, a judge thought Werdum won two rounds with a 28-29 score, causing the official result to be a split decision.

After feeling each other out in the opening moments, Werdum got the action started with a high kick that Dos Santos blocked. They then traded leg kicks, but Dos Santos knocked Werdum off his feet. Not rushing the action, he allowed Werdum to get back up and then Dos Santos began stalking forward, landing some quick left jabs, which would prove to be the weapon of choice throughout the fight.

During a takedown sequence toward the end of the first round, a cut was opened over the right of Werdum. Dos Santos then clipped Werdum with a right hand that sent him to the canvas.

Werdum struggled to connect with strikes and complete takedowns as Dos Santos was very sharp defensively. Aside from a nice right hand in the second round, Werdum spent most of the fight watching out for fast punches and hard kicks incoming from his opponent.

Later in the fight, a cut was opened over the left eye of Werdum, causing the referee to step in and look closely with concern.

In what felt like a clear victory for Dos Santos, somehow one judge caused eyebrows to raise as the first score that was read by the announcer was a 29-28 in Werdum’s favor. Sanity was restored when the next two scores announced were 30-27s for Dos Santos.

The matchup marked a return to action for both heavyweights following lengthy periods of inactivity. Dos Santos was last in action over 15 months ago, when his shoulder popped out at Eagle FC 47, leading to a TKO loss vs. Yorgan de Castro. Werdum’s previous appearance was under the PFL banner 28 months ago, but his fight against Renan Ferreira has since been overturned to a no contest.

The bout was the second meeting between Dos Santos and Werdum. They first fought at UFC 90 in 2008, where Dos Santos stopped Werdum with punches in the first round. It was also the first time both fighters competed bareknuckle.

You can watch a full replay of the fight in the video above.

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Gamebred Bareknuckle 5 live stream and official results

Watch the live stream of Gamebred Bareknuckle 5 and keep up with live official results right here on MMA Junkie.

Gamebred Bareknuckle 5 took place Friday and MMA Junkie kept you covered with a live stream and official results.

The bareknuckle MMA event took place at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla., and featured a heavyweight showdown between a pair of former UFC champions [autotag]Junior dos Santos[/autotag] and [autotag]Fabricio Werdum[/autotag].

The matchup marked a return to action for both heavyweight legends following lengthy periods of inactivity. Dos Santos was last in action over 15 months ago, when his shoulder popped out at Eagle FC 47, leading to a TKO loss vs. Yorgan de Castro. Werdum’s last appearance was under the PFL banner 28 months ago, but his fight against Renan Ferreira has since been overturned to a no contest.

It was also the second meeting between Dos Santos and Werdum, as they first met at UFC 90 in 2008, and the first bareknuckle competition for both fighters.

Aside from the marquee bout, the event featured a number of UFC veterans in action including Maki Pitolo, Brandon Jenkins, Anthony Njokuani, Irwin Rivera, Joshua Weems and Brandon Davis.

You can watch a replay of the full event in the video above and check out the official results below.

Full results of Gamebred Bareknuckle 5 include:

  • Junior Dos Santos def. Fabricio Werdum via split decision (28-29, 30-27, 30-27)
  • Joel Bauman def. Maki Pitolo via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 2:36
  • Joshua Weems def. Irwin Rivera via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
  • Ago Huskic def. Brandon Davis via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
  • Anthony Njokuani def. Brandon Jenkins via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
  • Joey Ruquet def. Joe Penafiel via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 3:01
  • Jhonasky Sojo def. Tyler Hill via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 4:52
  • Reggie Northrup def. Cody Herbert via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27)
  • Shahzaib Rind def. Carlos Guerra via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 2:40
  • Juan Alvarez def. Christopher Wingate via submission (heel hook) – Round 1, 0:13

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