Former UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos has his return fight lined up.
The heavyweight star has been on the sidelines since he was flagged for a potential USADA anti-doping violation back in August of 2017. As a result of that violation, he was forced out of his UFC 215 barnburner against hard-hitting and former title contender Francis Ngannou.
Dos Santos’ team clarified the situation by revealing he had tested positive for the diuretic Hydrochlorothiazide in the August 10 out-of-competition test.
Despite being flagged for a violation, he’s still pro-USADA and wants MMA to be a cleaner sport. Make no mistake about though, he still doesn’t know where the substance he tested positive for came from. As far as an update on his future in the sport after the suspension, it was officially announced last week that Dos Santos is eligible to compete immediately.
This was revealed once a third-party testing organization deemed that Dos Santos’ drug test that he failed was due to a contaminated supplement.
Although he may not be in his prime anymore, he is still a worthy challenger in the heavyweight division as he holds wins over names such as Mark Hunt, UFC heavyweight champ Stipe Miocic and Ben Rothwell.
In his last six bouts, he has been up and down as he has had some wins but also some losses to Cain Velasquez and Alistair Overeem.
He was last seen inside of the world famous octagon when he suffered a first-round knockout at UFC 211 last May in Dallas, Texas.
JDS is set to take on longtime WSOF champion Blagoy Ivanov in the main event of UFC Fight Night 133, better known as UFC Boise, according to a report by ESPN.
Ivanov will make his UFC debut in this bout after reigning as the WSOF/PFL champion from June 2015 to November 2017.
UFC Boise (UFC Fight Night 133) is set to take place on Saturday, July 14, 2018, at CenturyLink Arena in Boise, Idaho.
The main card will air on FOX Sports 1 at while the preliminary card will be split broadcasted on FOX Sports 1 at and the promotion’s streaming service, UFC Fight Pass. Here is the updated card for the show:
Junior dos Santos vs. Blagoy Ivanov
Marion Reneau vs. Cat Zingano
Liz Carmouche vs. Jennifer Maia
Said Nurmagomedov vs. Justin Scoggins
What are your thoughts on the opponent for JDS in his return fight? Sound off in the comment section below.
