Former UFC heavyweight champions Junior Dos Santos and Fabricio Werdum will compete in a bareknuckle MMA match, under the Gamebred Boxing promotion run by Jorge Masvidal. Dos Santos and Werdum first fought in 2008 at UFC 90, with Dos Santos winning by KO. The rematch is set to take place 15 years later.
In an interview with Sherdog, Dos Santos' coach confirmed the news:
"'Cigano' started his camp to face Werdum today .... I'm not sure if it was already announced but it will be at a Masvidal event under Vale Tudo rules, but with no gloves."
'Vale Tudo' means 'everything goes' in English, though previous Gamebred bareknuckle MMA matches have followed the unified rules of MMA, just with supporting wrist straps instead of gloves.
The two UFC veterans are a combined 84 years-of-age. Dos Santos enters the rematch on a five-fight knockout skid, and Werdum has won four of his last 10 outings, the last of which resulted in brain swelling and his subsequent withdrawal from the PFL 2021 heavyweight tournament.
"I’ve hidden many injuries to be able to fight when I was in my 20s, but now I need to prioritize my health and listen to the [doctor] .... I want to be able to enjoy my daughters and see them growing, and that’s the right thing to do at the moment. I’m fine, and I’ll be able to return to training soon." (via MMA fighting)
Pushing over-the-hill fighters to compete into old age isn't a new concept in combat sports, but it's worth scrutinizing the decision to put these fights together. Promotions like Gamebred FC are banking on the name-value that Werdum and Dos Santos brought to the sport well over a decade ago; they're not the same fighters they used to be.
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