Former UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos ended a five-fight losing streak by defeating fellow ex-champ Fabricio Werdum in a bare-knuckle MMA bout.
Junior dos Santos has ended his five-fight losing streak, scoring a victory for the first time in more than four years. The former UFC heavyweight champion made a triumphant comeback by defeating Fabricio Werdum in a split decision win during his bare-knuckle MMA debut. The match, which was the main event of Gamebred Bareknuckle 5 held on Friday, saw dos Santos leaving Werdum bloodied and bruised.
An elated dos Santos said, “That was my first time [fighting bare-knuckle MMA] and I loved it, that was amazing. I feel good. Feeling a little sore but I think that’s OK. I’m fighting someone who was really well-prepared. Everybody knows the legend that he is.” As he led the offensive from the start, dos Santos gave a classy performance, strategically playing into his strengths and peppering Werdum with a steady assault of jabs, hooks, and low kicks.
Throughout the match, dos Santos maintained an upper hand with his striking game that saw Werdum being knocked down in the opening round. Despite Werdum’s resilience, by the third round, he was left with a bloody left eye that seemed on the verge of being ripped off. In the end, the win went to dos Santos with two of the judges scoring 30-27 in his favor, while one scored 29-28 for Werdum.
Addressing his strategy, dos Santos said, “You guys want me to go to the ground with that guy? No way. It’s jabs and crosses and hooks, that’s my thing. And the more I do, the more comfortable I feel.” Prior to this match, a shoulder injury had sidelined dos Santos for some time post his loss to Yorgan De Castro, whereas Werdum had last competed in a 2021 no-contest against Renan Ferreira. This victory marked a significant turn around for dos Santos, as he had defeated Werdum via first-round knockout in their 2008 encounter during dos Santos’s UFC debut.