Tag: Junior dos Santos

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.

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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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Video: Junior Dos Santos, Fabricio Werdum in great physical shape at Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA faceoff

Junior Dos Santos and Fabricio Werdum came face-to-face ahead of Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA – two of eight UFC alumni on the card.

Former UFC heavyweight champions [autotag]Junior Dos Santos[/autotag] and [autotag]Fabricio Werdum[/autotag] squared off for the final time ahead of their main event fight at Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA – and they both appeared to be in great physical shape.

Other UFC alumni present at the faceoffs, set to compete Saturday at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla., included [autotag]Brandon Jenkins[/autotag], [autotag]Anthony Njokuani[/autotag], [autotag]Brandon Davis[/autotag], [autotag]Joshua Weems[/autotag], [autotag]Irwin Rivera[/autotag], and [autotag]Maki Pitolo[/autotag].

Of course, promoter Jorge Masvidal was on hand, too, as he squared off each pairing of fighters. The event will stream live and free on MMA Junkie.

Dos Santos and Werdum rematch – without gloves – nearly 15 years after they fought one another at UFC 90 in October 2008. As a heavy underdog, Dos Santos knocked out Werdum in 81 seconds and kicked off a run in the promotion that would lead directly to the heavyweight title.

The winner of Saturday’s fight will face the winner of the promotion’s inaugural heavyweight title bout between Roy Nelson and Alan Belcher, which takes place Oct. 28 at a date and location to be announced.

The full Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA lineup includes:

  • Junior Dos Santos vs. Fabricio Werdum
  • Joel Bauman vs. Maki Pitolo
  • Irwin Rivera vs. Joshua Weems
  • Brandon Davis vs. Ago Huskic
  • Brandon Jenkins vs. Anthony Njokuani
  • Joe Penafiel vs. Joey Ruquet
  • Tyler Hill vs. Jhonasky Soto
  • Corey Herbert vs. Reggie Northrup
  • Juan Alvarez vs. Chase Wingate
  • Carlos Guerra vs. Shahzaib Rindh

UFC alums Roy Nelson, Alan Belcher to fight for Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA heavyweight title

According to Jorge Masvidal, the winner of Junior Dos Santos vs. Fabricio Werdum will face the winner of Roy Nelson vs. Alan Belcher.

Two days out from a bareknuckle battle between former UFC heavyweight champions [autotag]Junior Dos Santos[/autotag] and [autotag]Fabricio Werdum[/autotag], Gamebred Boxing promoter Jorge Masvidal has announced elevated stakes.

Dos Santos and Werdum will meet in a gloveless MMA fight Friday at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla. The winner, Masvidal revealed at a news conference Wednesday, will face the winner of another heavyweight bareknuckle MMA fight, [autotag]Alan Belcher[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Roy Nelson[/autotag], freshly minted for an Oct. 28 show at Mississippi Coast Coliseum in Biloxi, Miss.

Nelson vs. Belcher will be for the promotion’s heavyweight title. No other fights have been announced for the Oct. 28 event at this time.

“The winner of that will face the winner of this sometime in January, we’re hopeful,” Masvidal said. “Hard Rock Stadium. Hard Rock Casino. We’ll keep these guys busy, just as we promised them. That’s f*cking huge news. We’re excited.”

Masvidal also revealed plans to hold an event in December.

Nelson headlined a Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA event in May when he knocked out bareknuckle boxing standout Dillon Cleckler in Round 1. The competition was Nelson’s first since his Bellator departure in late 2020. Nelson competed in the UFC from 2010-2017 and compiled a 9-10 promotional record.

In joining Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA, Belcher has departed BKFC, a promotion he was a part of since 2021. Belcher competed in the UFC from 2006-2013 and compiled a 9-6 promotional record, largely at middleweight. After eight years away from competition, Belcher returned as a heavyweight and has yet to lose. Belcher was 4-0 under the BKFC banner while also competing outside the promotion in traditional boxing where he won five pro bout and one exhibition.

Photos: Junior Dos Santos, Fabricio Werdum face off at Gamebred Bareknuckle press conference

Check out these photos of Junior Dos Santos and Fabricio Werdum facing off ahead of their Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA fight.

Check out these photos of former UFC heavyweight champions [autotag]Junior Dos Santos[/autotag] and [autotag]Fabricio Werdum[/autotag] facing off ahead of their Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA fight at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla. (Photos courtesy of Gamebred Bareknuckle)

UFC veterans in MMA, bareknuckle MMA and kickboxing action Sept. 7-9

Check out which veterans of the UFC are competing in combat sports across the globe this weekend.

This week, the UFC travels to Australia for UFC 293.

The pay-per-view event at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney features a middleweight title fight between champion [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] and [autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag].

Elsewhere, many other combat sports events are taking place that feature a number of familiar names that have competed under the UFC banner.

Check out which veterans of the global MMA leader are competing in MMA, bareknuckle MMA and kickboxing this week from Sept. 7-9.

Check out the names and details about their bouts below.

Upcoming event information from Tapology.

Junior dos Santos vs. Fabricio Werdum booked for Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA 5

A rematch between former UFC champs Junior dos Santos and Fabricio Werdum has been booked for Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA 5 in September.

[autotag]Junior dos Santos[/autotag] and [autotag]Fabricio Werdum[/autotag] are running it back, but with a twist.

The two former UFC heavyweight champions are set to battle a second time, but in this go with slightly different rules than their UFC 90 fight back in 2008. Dos Santos and Werdum will fight under bareknuckle MMA rules, rather than traditional MMA with gloves.

This bout will go down in the main event of a Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA 5, set to go down on Sept. 8 at the VySar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla.

The news was first reported by Sherdog and later confirmed by MMA Junkie through sources.

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Dos Santos, 39, hasn’t competed since suffering a shoulder injury that cost him a TKO loss to Yorgan De Castro back in May 2022 at Eagle FC 47 in Miami. Prior to that, the Brazilian was competing inside the octagon. His loss to De Castro is his first and only fight so far since his UFC release.

On the other hand, Werdum was last seen in May 2021 when he debuted for PFL. Originally a TKO loss to Renan Ferreira, Werdum had his defeat overturned to a no contest after Ferreira appeared to tap out from submission before the finish. Prior to that bout, Werdum submitted Alexander Gustafsson to close his UFC career back in the summer of 2020.

Here is the current card for Gamebred Bareknuckle 5:

  • Junior Dos Santos vs. Fabricio Werdum
  • Renan Barao vs. Sean Soriano
  • Brandon Jenkins vs. Anthony Njokuani
  • Brandon Davis vs. TBD
  • Irwin Rivera vs. Joshua Weems

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Video: Is Junior Dos Santos out of line by calling Ciryl Gane a ‘dirty’ fighter?

Former UFC heavyweight champ Junior Dos Santos has been very critical of Ciryl Gane.

[autotag]Junior Dos Santos[/autotag] is not the biggest fan of [autotag]Ciryl Gane[/autotag].

The former UFC heavyweight champion has criticized the former interim champ, specifically calling Gane a “dirty fighter” after his knockout victory over Tai Tuivasa at UFC Fight Night 209.

In the final moments that led to the third-round stoppage, Gane landed what appeared to be an illegal hammerfist to the back of Tuivasa’s head in the heat of a massive flurry of strikes.

“What a dirty fighter this Gane is,” Dos Santos wrote on Twitter in the aftermath.

Dos Santos has felt a certain way about Gane’s striking ever since the pair met in 2020. The former champ felt he was also struck in the back of the head moments before being stopped by Gane.

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Is it fair or foul for Dos Santos to categorize Gane as a “dirty fighter?”

That’s the question we asked our “Spinning Back Clique” panel of Brian “Goze” Garcia, Dan Tom and Danny Segura, who discussed the topic with host “Gorgeous” George Garcia. You can watch their conversation in the video above, or check out this week’s full episode below.

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Spinning Back Clique: Nate Diaz’s decision, UFC Paris, Paul vs. Silva, and more

MMA Junkie’s weekly “Spinning Back Clique” discusses Nate Diaz’s impending decision after UFC 279, UFC Paris fallout, and more.

Check out this week’s “Spinning Back Clique,” MMA Junkie’s weekly show that takes a spin through the biggest topics in mixed martial arts.

Our panel of Brian “Goze” Garcia, Dan Tom and Danny Segura discuss five topics with host “Gorgeous” George Garcia.

  • [autotag]Nate Diaz[/autotag] headlines UFC 279 on Saturday against Khamzat Chimaev. He’s a massive underdog, and it’s the last fight on his contract after 15 years with the UFC. Is this the last time we’ll see him in the octagon? Or can we expect the unexpected and after all his public gripes about the UFC, will he re-sign with the promotion?
  • At UFC Fight Night 209 this past Saturday, [autotag]Ciryl Gane[/autotag] took out Tai Tuivasa with a third-round knockout. It was a huge win for the Frenchman in front of his home fans in Paris, and now he can make a claim to be back in the heavyweight title picture. So how should we sort out that division in the UFC now that he’s back on track and we’re still waiting for Jon Jones’ debut in the weight class and the returns of Stiple Miocic and champ Francis Ngannou?
  • Former UFC heavyweight champion [autotag]Junior Dos Santos[/autotag] was critical of Gane’s win over Tuivasa and said a hammerfist Gane landed to the back of Tuivasa’s head during the fight-ending ground-and-pound made him a “dirty fighter.” JDS has some experience here. His loss to Gane ended in a similar fashion, but in that case, too, the referee didn’t deem anything illegal. What do we think? Is Dos Santos going too far calling Gane dirty, or is he on the right path?
  • It looks like [autotag]Jake Paul[/autotag]’s next boxing match is going to be against former UFC middleweight champion [autotag]Anderson Silva[/autotag], one of MMA’s all-time greatest fighters. Silva has been grated a boxing license in Arizona, which paves the way for the fight to happen. An announcement could come very soon. MMA fans have a love-hate relationship with Paul. But will he start to turn the page with them by boxing someone as well-regarded as Silva? And what do we think about the matchup?
  • Nate Diaz got his start in the WEC. And like PRIDE and Strikeforce, the WEC eventually was folded into the UFC. Most of the fighters from those three promotions have retired or are fighting outside the UFC. But looking back, which promotion did the UFC get the most bang for its buck from: PRIDE, WEC or Strikeforce?

“Spinning Back Clique” is released each Tuesday on MMA Junkie’s YouTube channel. You can watch the full episode in the video above.