Junior dos Santos (; born 30 January 1984) is a Brazilian

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorp ...

and

professional wrestler Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring or ...

who competes in the

Heavyweight Heavyweight is a weight class in combat sports and professional wrestling. Boxing Professional Boxers who weigh over are considered heavyweights by 3 of the 4 major professional boxing organizations: the International Boxing Federation, the Wo ...

division of

Eagle FC Eagle Fighting Championship (EFC), commonly referred to as Eagle FC, is a Russian mixed martial arts promotion company established in 2020 by former UFC Lightweight Champion Khabib Nurmagomedov. It was renamed to Eagle Fighting Championship (EFC ...

. As a mixed martial artist, he is a former

UFC Heavyweight Champion Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) champions are fighters who have won UFC championships. Historical notes At the time of the UFC's inception in 1993, mixed martial arts was not sanctioned in the United States, and did not include weight classe ...

; as a professional wrestler, Dos Santos makes appearances for

All Elite Wrestling All Elite Wrestling (AEW) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Jacksonville, Florida. It is considered the second largest wrestling promotion in the United States behind WWE. AEW is owned by Shahid Khan and his son Tony, w ...

(AEW) as a member of the

American Top Team American Top Team (ATT) is one of the primary teams in mixed martial arts. The gym was founded by Dan Lambert, who brought in former members of Brazilian Top Team Marcus "Conan" Silveira, Marcelo Silveira and Ricardo Liborio, but there is no fo ...

Background

Dos Santos and his two siblings were raised by a single mother, Maria, after his alcoholic father, Sebastian, left the family in the mid-1990s. He started to work at the age of ten in order to help his family. He trained in

capoeira Capoeira () is an Afro-Brazilian martial art that combines elements of dance, acrobatics, music and spirituality. Born of the melting pot of enslaved Africans, Indigenous Brazilians and Portuguese influences at the beginning of the 16th century ...

throughout his teenage years before he began taking martial arts seriously at 21, when he began training in

Brazilian jiu-jitsu Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ; pt, jiu-jitsu brasileiro ) is a self-defence martial art and combat sport based on grappling, ground fighting (ne-waza) and submission holds. BJJ focuses on the skill of taking an opponent to the ground, control ...

under Yuri Carlton. After six months of training, Dos Santos won a few jiu-jitsu tournaments in

Salvador Salvador, meaning "salvation" (or "saviour") in Catalan, Spanish, and Portuguese may refer to: * Salvador (name) Arts, entertainment, and media Music *Salvador (band), a Christian band that plays both English and Spanish music ** ''Salvador'' ( ...

. One year later, Dos Santos was invited to join a boxing practice by a friend, where he met his boxing coach Luiz Carlos Dórea. Dórea also trained mixed martial arts, and roughly a year after he started training in boxing, he had his debut professional fight.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Dos Santos turned professional in 2006, at the age of 22. He fought in small promotions in Brazil, such as Demo Fight, Extreme Fighting Championship, Minotauro Fights and Mo Team League. He won six of his first seven bouts, suffering his only loss to Joaquim Ferreira, a fighter he had previously beaten.

Ultimate Fighting Championship (2008–2021)

Debut (2008–2010)

Dos Santos debuted for the

UFC The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

on 25 October 2008 at

UFC 90 ''UFC 90: Silva vs. Côté'' was a mixed martial arts (MMA) pay-per-view event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) on October 25, 2008, at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois. Background The main event featured UFC Middleweigh ...

. Considered a major underdog, he knocked out top contender

Fabrício Werdum Fabrício Werdum (; born 30 July 1977) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist and former UFC Heavyweight Champion who competes in the Heavyweight division. He is also a 4-time Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion, a two-time Abu Dhabi Combat Club Wor ...

at a minute and twenty seconds of the first round, earning himself a "Knockout of the Year" award. Returning on 21 February 2009 at

UFC 95 ''UFC 95: Sanchez vs. Stevenson'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) on February 21, 2009 at The O2 Arena in London, United Kingdom. Background The event was broadcast live for viewers in Europe and ...

he fought promotional newcomer

Stefan Struve Stefan Jaimy Struve (; born February 18, 1988) is a Dutch former mixed martial artist who competed as a heavyweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). At , he is the tallest fighter in the history of the UFC. Background Growing up in th ...

, defeating him at fifty-four seconds of the first round by knockout. On 19 September 2009, Dos Santos continued his winning streak and defeated

Mirko Cro Cop Mirko Filipović (; born 10 September 1974), better known by his ring name Mirko Cro Cop, is a retired Croatian professional mixed martial artist, kickboxer and amateur boxer. He is mostly known for his time in Pride Fighting Championships. Cro ...

at ''

UFC 103 ''UFC 103: Franklin vs. Belfort'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) on September 19, 2009 in Dallas, Texas at the American Airlines Center. The event was broadcast on pay-per-view. Background This ...

''. During the third round Dos Santos dominated Cro Cop in the clinch with knee strikes and punches. A knee from the clinch and a right uppercut apparently caused damage to Mirko's left eye, causing him to submit verbally.

UFC 108 ''UFC 108: Evans vs. Silva'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on January 2, 2010, in Las Vegas, Nevada at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Background The card for UFC 108 was plagued with numerous injuries ...

scheduled a fight between Dos Santos and

Gabriel Gonzaga Gabriel Gonzaga Santos Nogueira (; born 18 May 1979) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist, who competed in the Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He is perhaps best known for his upset head-kick knockout of M ...

. However, Gonzaga pulled out of the bout on 25 November 2009 due to a

staph infection A staphylococcal infection or staph infection is an infection caused by members of the ''Staphylococcus'' genus of bacteria. These bacteria commonly inhabit the skin and nose where they are innocuous, but may enter the body through cuts or abrasio ...

. Instead, on 2 January 2010, Dos Santos fought

Gilbert Yvel Gilbert Ramon Yvel (born 30 June 1976) is a Dutch professional mixed martial artist. A professional competitor since 1997, Yvel competed in the PRIDE Fighting Championships, Affliction, the UFC, Road FC, the RFA, RINGS, M-1 Challenge, Cage ...

, winning the fight via TKO at two minutes and seven seconds of the first round. Dos Santos faced

on 21 March 2010 at UFC Live: Vera vs. Jones. He won the fight via knockout in the first round, earning him his second "Knockout of the Night" award.

Heavyweight title contender (2010–2011)

Dos Santos faced Roy Nelson on 7 August 2010, at

UFC 117 ''UFC 117: Silva vs. Sonnen'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on August 7, 2010 at the Oracle Arena in Oakland, California, United States. Background UFC President Dana White announced via ESPN on Jim Ro ...

. The fight saw Dos Santos use a variety of strikes and, for the first time, a successful takedown. Despite Dos Santos's striking ability, Nelson was able to stay in the fight, resulting in the fight going to decision. Dos Santos won the fight via unanimous decision. Following the win, Dos Santos was expected to challenge

Cain Velasquez Caín Ramirez Velasquez (born July 28, 1982) is an American professional wrestler and retired mixed martial artist, currently appearing for Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA). He is widely known for his time in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, ...

for the heavyweight title. However, a

torn rotator cuff A rotator cuff tear is an injury where one or more of the tendons or muscles of the rotator cuff of the shoulder get torn. Symptoms may include shoulder pain, which is often worse with movement, limited range of motion, or weakness. This may limi ...

suffered by Velasquez side-lined the champion for nearly a year. UFC 131 Carwin vs

On 11 January 2011, the president of the UFC,

Dana White Dana Frederick White Jr. (born July 28, 1969) is an American businessman who serves as president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), a global mixed martial arts organization. In August 2019, White's net worth was estimated at $500 milli ...

, announced that Dos Santos would be one of the coaches of The Ultimate Fighter Season 13, opposite

Brock Lesnar Brock Edward Lesnar ( ; born July 12, 1977) is an American-Canadian professional wrestler, former mixed martial artist (MMA), amateur wrestler, and professional American football player who holds both American and Canadian citizenship. He is ...

. They were scheduled to face each other on 11 June 2011, at

UFC 131 ''UFC 131: dos Santos vs. Carwin'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on 11 June 2011 at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Background Brock Lesnar was originally scheduled to face ...

, but Lesnar pulled out of the bout due to a recurrence of

diverticulitis Diverticulitis, specifically colonic diverticulitis, is a gastrointestinal disease characterized by inflammation of abnormal pouches—diverticula—which can develop in the wall of the large intestine. Symptoms typically include lower abdominal ...

and was replaced by

Shane Carwin Western Colorado Mountaineers Shane Bannister Carwin (born January 4, 1975) is an American former mixed martial artist who competed in the Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He is a former Interim UFC Hea ...

. Dos Santos dominated Carwin and won the fight via unanimous decision, relying predominantly on his boxing skills, but showed more variety in his game by landing a couple of kicks and completing two takedowns in the third round.

UFC Heavyweight Champion (2011–2012)

Dos Santos faced

UFC on Fox 1 ''UFC on Fox: Velasquez vs. dos Santos'' (also known as ''UFC on Fox 1'') was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on November 12, 2011 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. Background This card marked the ...

for the

UFC Heavyweight Championship Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) champions are fighters who have won UFC championships. Historical notes At the time of the UFC's inception in 1993, mixed martial arts was not sanctioned in the United States, and did not include weight classe ...

on 12 November 2011. He won the fight via knockout at 64 seconds into the first round. The performance also earned him his third "Knockout of the Night" award. After the fight, it was revealed that he had a

torn meniscus A tear of a meniscus is a rupturing of one or more of the fibrocartilage strips in the knee called menisci. When doctors and patients refer to "torn cartilage" in the knee, they actually may be referring to an injury to a meniscus at the top of ...

in his knee; he subsequently underwent a successful knee surgery. Dos Santos was scheduled to face

Alistair Overeem Alistair Cees Overeem (born 17 May 1980) is a Dutch professional heavyweight mixed martial artist and kickboxer, currently competing in the heavyweight division of Glory. He is a former Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion, Dream Heavyweight C ...

on 26 May 2012 at the

MGM Grand Garden Arena The MGM Grand Garden Arena (originally known as the MGM Grand Garden Special Events Center) is a 17,000-seat multi-purpose arena located within the MGM Grand Las Vegas on the Las Vegas Strip. Sporting events From its opening on December 18, 1993 ...

UFC 146 ''UFC 146: dos Santos vs. Mir'' was a mixed martial arts (MMA) pay-per-view event (PPV) promoted by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) on May 26, 2012 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The main card featured five MMA bouts ...

. On 4 April 2012, the

Nevada State Athletic Commission The Nevada State Athletic Commission (also known as the Nevada Athletic Commission or NSAC) regulates all contests and exhibitions of unarmed combat within the state of Nevada, including licensure and supervision of promoters, boxers, kickboxers, ...

announced Overeem had failed a pre-fight drug test. Consequently, Overeem's request for a license was denied. On 20 April 2012,

the UFC president announced

Frank Mir Francisco Santos Mir III (; born May 24, 1979), is an American mixed martial artist who most recently competed for Bellator MMA in the Heavyweight division. He formerly competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) for sixteen years. A f ...

would be replacing Overeem. Dos Santos was able to keep the fight standing, showing his superior boxing skills, eventually winning via KO in the second round. A rematch against

was expected on 22 September 2012 at

UFC 152 ''UFC 152: Jones vs. Belfort '' was a mixed martial arts pay-per-view event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on September 22, 2012, at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Background Rory MacDonald was expected to face fo ...

. However, it was later announced by

that the fight would take place in Las Vegas on 29 December 2012 at

UFC 155 The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

. Dos Santos lost via unanimous decision. This marked the first time Dos Santos had suffered a loss in the UFC. Dos Santos later claimed that he was training so hard prior to the bout with Velasquez that he developed

rhabdomyolysis Rhabdomyolysis (also called rhabdo) is a condition in which damaged skeletal muscle breaks down rapidly. Symptoms may include muscle pains, weakness, vomiting, and confusion. There may be tea-colored urine or an irregular heartbeat. Some of th ...

, a (sometimes fatal) breakdown of muscle fibers that releases their contents into the bloodstream, and that the condition affected his performance during the fight.

Back into contention (2013–2021)

Dos Santos was expected to face

on 25 May 2013 at

UFC 160 ''UFC 160: Velasquez vs. Bigfoot 2'' was a mixed martial arts event held on May 25, 2013, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Background The main event was a rematch between former UFC Heavyweight Champion Cain Velasquez and Ant� ...

. However, in early March, Overeem pulled out of the bout citing an injury. The bout was expected to be rescheduled for a future event, However, on 9 March, UFC President Dana White confirmed that Dos Santos's next opponent would be

Mark Hunt Mark Richard Hunt (born 23 March 1974) is a New Zealand former mixed martial artist and kickboxer of Samoan descent, currently living in Sydney, Australia. Hunt competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) until 2018 and was the winn ...

at the same event. Dos Santos won the fight via third-round knockout. This fight earned both participants ''Fight of the Night'' award. A third fight with

took place on 19 October 2013 at

UFC 166 ''UFC 166: Velasquez vs. dos Santos III'' was a mixed martial arts event held on October 19, 2013, at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. Background The main event was a UFC Heavyweight Championship bout between the current champion Cain Velas ...

. Although Dos Santos experienced more moments of success than in their second fight, he was still dominated by Velasquez for most of the fight. He lost via TKO at 3:09 of the fifth round. Dos Santos was expected to face

Stipe Miocic Stipe Miocic (born August 19, 1982) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Heavyweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is a former two-time UFC Heavyweight Champion. Miocic i ...

on 24 May 2014 at

UFC 173 ''UFC 173: Barão vs. Dillashaw'' was a mixed martial arts event held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on May 24, 2014. Background A Middleweight Championship bout between then champion Chris Weidman and number one contender V ...

. However, the bout was delayed and was scheduled to take place a week later on 31 May 2014 at

The Ultimate Fighter Brazil 3 Finale ''The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 3'' is an installment of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)-produced reality television series ''The Ultimate Fighter''. It is the sixth series to be produced outside the United States and the third to film ...

. However, on 5 May, it was announced that Dos Santos pulled out of the fight citing a hand injury and he was replaced by

Fábio Maldonado Fábio Rogério Maldonado (born 17 March 1980) is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist and boxer currently competing in the light heavyweight division of Fight Nights Global. A professional MMA competitor since 2000, he has also ...

. A rescheduled bout with Miocic took place as the main event at

UFC on Fox 13 ''UFC on Fox: dos Santos vs. Miocic'' (also known as ''UFC on Fox 13'') was a mixed martial arts event held at U.S. Airways Center in Phoenix, Arizona, on December 13, 2014. Background The event was the first that the organization has hosted in ...

on 13 December 2014. Dos Santos won the back-and-forth fight via unanimous decision. The performance earned both participants ''Fight of the Night'' honors. After a year away from the sport, Dos Santos had the three-years-delayed fight with

which took place on 19 December 2015 at

UFC on Fox 17 ''UFC on Fox: dos Anjos vs. Cowboy 2'' (also known as ''UFC on Fox 17'') was a mixed martial arts event held on December 19, 2015, at the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida. Background The event was headlined by a UFC Lightweight Championship bout ...

. He lost the bout by technical knockout in the second round. Dos Santos faced

Ben Rothwell Ben Rothwell (born October 17, 1981) is an American mixed martial artist who competes as a Heavyweight. He most notably had a 17 bout stint in the Ultimate Fighting Championship and competed for the Quad Cities Silverbacks of the IFL where he h ...

on 10 April 2016 at

UFC Fight Night 86 ''UFC Fight Night: Rothwell vs. dos Santos'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 86'') was a mixed martial arts event held on April 10, 2016, at the Arena Zagreb in Zagreb, Croatia. Background The event was the first that the organization has hosted ...

. He won the fight via unanimous decision. Dos Santos was originally expected to face

in a rematch on 19 February 2017 at

UFC Fight Night 105 ''UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Browne'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 105'') was a mixed martial arts event promoted by the Ultimate Fighting Championship held on February 19, 2017, at Scotiabank Centre in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. Backgroun ...

. However on 12 January, Struve pulled out due to a shoulder injury. Despite having over six weeks before the event, promotion officials elected to remove Dos Santos from the event instead of having him face a replacement. Dos Santos faced

on 13 May 2017 at

UFC 211 ''UFC 211: Miocic vs. dos Santos 2'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship held on May 13, 2017, at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. Background The event was the fourth that the UFC has host ...

for the

. He had previously beaten Miocic by unanimous decision at UFC on Fox: dos Santos vs. Miocic in 2014. Dos Santos lost the fight via TKO in the first round. Dos Santos was expected to face

Francis Ngannou Francis Zavier Ngannou (born 5 September 1986) is a Cameroonian professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Heavyweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is the current UFC Heavyweight Champion. A ...

on 9 September 2017 at

UFC 215 ''UFC 215: Nunes vs. Shevchenko 2'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship held on September 9, 2017 at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Background The promotion was initially planning a PPV event ...

. However, on 18 August, Dos Santos was pulled from the match after being notified of a potential

USADA The United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA, ) is a non-profit, non-governmental 501(c)(3) organization and the national anti- doping organization (NADO) for the United States. To protect clean competition and the integrity of sport and prevent d ...

violation. On 24 April 2018 Dos Santos was cleared of intentionally using of

Performance-enhancing drugs Performance-enhancing substances, also known as performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs), are substances that are used to improve any form of activity performance in humans. A well-known example of cheating in sports involves doping in sport, where bann ...

(PEDs) by USADA, after it was determined he had taken tainted supplements which contained

hydrochlorothiazide Hydrochlorothiazide is a diuretic medication often used to treat high blood pressure and swelling due to fluid build-up. Other uses include treating diabetes insipidus and renal tubular acidosis and to decrease the risk of kidney stones in tho ...

from the

compounding pharmacies In the field of pharmacy, compounding (performed in compounding pharmacies) is preparation of a custom formulation of a medication to fit a unique need of a patient that cannot be met with commercially available products. This may be done for me ...

in Brazil. He became eligible to compete on 24 April 2018. Dos Santos returned from his suspension and faced former WSOF Heavyweight Champion

Blagoy Ivanov Blagoy Ivanov ( bg, Благой Александров Иванов; born October 9, 1986) is a Bulgarian mixed martial artist and Sambo (martial art), Sambo practitioner. He is currently signed to the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UF ...

on 14 July 2018 at

UFC Fight Night 133 ''UFC Fight Night: dos Santos vs. Ivanov'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 133'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that was held on July 14, 2018 at CenturyLink Arena in Boise, Idaho, United States. ...

. He won the fight via unanimous decision. Dos Santos faced

Tai Tuivasa Tai Anthony Tuivasa (born 16 March 1993) is an Australian professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Heavyweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of December 6, 2022, he is #5 in the UFC heavyweight ...

on 2 December 2018 at

UFC Fight Night 142 ''UFC Fight Night: dos Santos vs. Tuivasa'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 142'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that was held on 2 December 2018 at Adelaide Entertainment Centre in Adelaide, Sou ...

. He won the fight via technical knockout in round two. Dos Santos faced

Derrick Lewis Derrick James Lewis (born February 7, 1985) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Heavyweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he currently holds the record for most knockouts ...

in the main event of

UFC on ESPN+ 4 UFC on ESPN: dos Anjos vs. Edwards (also known as ''UFC on ESPN 4'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on July 20, 2019 at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas. Background The event ma ...

on 9 March 2019. He won the fight via TKO in the second round. This fight earned him the ''Fight of the Night'' award. Dos Santos faced

on 29 June 2019 at

UFC on ESPN 3 ''UFC on ESPN: Ngannou vs. dos Santos'' (also known as ''UFC on ESPN 3'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that was held on June 29, 2019, at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. Background Th ...

. He lost the fight via technical knockout in the first round. Dos Santos was scheduled to face Alexander Volkov on 9 November 2019 at

UFC on ESPN+ 21 UFC Fight Night: Magomedsharipov vs. Kattar (also known as UFC Fight Night: Zabit vs. Kattar, UFC Fight Night 163 and UFC on ESPN+ 21) was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on November 9, 201 ...

. However, Dos Santos was forced to pull out from the event due to a bacterial infection in his leg. As the first bout of his new eight-fight contract, Dos Santos faced

Curtis Blaydes Curtis Lionell Blaydes (born February 18, 1991) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Heavyweight (MMA), Heavyweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional since 2014, Blayde ...

on 25 January 2020 at

UFC Fight Night 166 ''UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs. dos Santos'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 166'' and ''UFC on ESPN+ 24'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on January 25, 2020 at PNC Arena in Raleigh, ...

. He lost the fight via technical knockout in the second round. Dos Santos faced

Jairzinho Rozenstruik Jairzinho Rozenstruik (born 17 March 1988) is a Surinamese mixed martial artist and former kickboxer, who currently competes in the Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He currently holds the record for second fast ...

on 15 August 2020 at

UFC 252 ''UFC 252: Miocic vs. Cormier 3'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on August 15, 2020 at the UFC Apex facility in Enterprise, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area, United Sta ...

. He lost the fight via technical knockout in the second round. Dos Santos faced

Ciryl Gane Ciryl Jacky Gane (born 12 April 1990) is a French professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Heavyweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is a former Interim UFC Heavyweight Champion. A professi ...

on 12 December 2020 at

UFC 256 ''UFC 256: Figueiredo vs. Moreno'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on December 12, 2020 at the UFC Apex facility in Enterprise, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area, United ...

. He lost the fight via technical knockout in the second round. On 3 March 2021, it was announced that Dos Santos had been released from the UFC.

Eagle Fighting Championship

Dos Santos made his Eagle FC debut against

Yorgan De Castro Yorgan De Castro (born December 19, 1987) is a Cape Verdean professional mixed martial artist who competes in the Heavyweight division of Professional Fighters League (PFL). He is most notable for fighting in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (U ...

on 20 May 2022 at Eagle FC 47. Dos Santos outstruck De Castro for most of the bout, but would go on to lose by technical knockout due to a doctor stoppage after suffering a shoulder injury early in the third round.

Professional wrestling career

All Elite Wrestling (2021–present)

In the summer of 2021, Dos Santos began making appearances for the professional wrestling promotion

, backing

head Dan Lambert along with ATT affiliated fighters

Andrei Arlovski Andrei Arlovski (born 4 February 1979) is a Belarusian-American professional mixed martial artist, actor and former UFC Heavyweight Champion. He currently competes in the Heavyweight division for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and ho ...

Paige VanZant Paige Michelle VanZant (''née'' Sletten; married name Vanderford; born March 26, 1994), is an American mixed martial artist, bare knuckle boxer, professional wrestler, author, and model. She is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling, as a wres ...

, Austin Vanderford, Dalton Rosta, and

Jorge Masvidal Jorge Masvidal (born November 12, 1984) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Welterweight division for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Masvidal has been competing professionally since 2003; he ...

. They formed an alliance with

Ethan Page Julian Micevski (born September 20, 1989), better known by his ring name Ethan Page, is a Canadian professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is a member of The Firm. Page is best known for his work in Impact ...

and

Scorpio Sky Schuyler Andrews (born April 2, 1983), better known by the ring name Scorpio Sky, is an American professional wrestler and mixed martial artist currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Andrews is also known for his appearances with Ring of ...

, otherwise known as the ''Men of the Year'' (both of which have legitimate extensive martial arts backgrounds, with Scorpio Sky having fought in MMA competition). On the 6 October edition of ''

AEW Dynamite AEW or aew may refer to: * Airborne early warning, airborne radar system for detecting aircraft * Aerosvit Airlines, an airline based in Kyiv, Ukraine (ICAO airline designator: AEW) * AEW Capital Management, a property investment management company ...

'', it was announced that Dos Santos would be making his professional wrestling debut on the 15 October edition of ''

AEW Rampage ''AEW Rampage'', also known as ''Friday Night Rampage'' or simply ''Rampage'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by the American promotion All Elite Wrestling (AEW). It airs every Friday at 10 p.m. Eastern Time ( ...

'', teaming with Sky and Page to take on

Jake Hager Donald Jacob Hager Jr. (born March 24, 1982) is an American professional wrestler and mixed martial artist, currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) under the ring name Jake Hager, where he is a member of the Jericho Appreciation Society st ...

Chris Jericho Christopher Keith Irvine (born November 9, 1970), better known by the ring name Chris Jericho, is an American-Canadian professional wrestler and singer. He is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is the leader of the Jeri ...

and

Sammy Guevara Samuel George Guevara (born July 28, 1993) is an American professional wrestler signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is a member of the Jericho Appreciation Society. He is a record tying three-time former AEW TNT Champion. He also app ...

( The Inner Circle) in a trios match.

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed Martial Arts

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

(One time) **One successful title defense ** Knockout of the Night (Three times) ** Fight of the Night (Three times) **Longest winning streak in UFC Heavyweight division history (9) ** 2nd most knockout wins in UFC Heavyweight history (10) - tied with

*FIGHT! Magazine **Upset of the Year (2008) *

MMAJunkie.com MMA Junkie is a news website that covers the sport of mixed martial arts (MMA). It was founded in 2006, and is owned by Gannett Company since 2011. The site and its content have been featured in ''Time (magazine), Time'' magazine'', ''ESPN The Ma ...

**2014 December Fight of the Month *

Sherdog Sherdog is an American website devoted to the sport of mixed martial arts (MMA). It also has many forums and discussion pages on the many topics of MMA like records, promotions, etc. The site is a member of the CraveOnline network and provides MM ...

**2010 All-Violence Third Team **2011 All-Violence First Team

Personal life

Dos Santos has stated that Antônio Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira is his hero. He is a

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

. In January 2013, he announced that he had divorced his wife of ten years before competing at

. On 9 March 2017, Dos Santos's first child, a boy, was born. Dos Santos's second child was born in May 2019 and was named Maria, after his mother.

Filmography

Dos Santos featured as one of the contestants for Dança dos Famosos, the Brazilian version of

Dancing with the Stars ''Dancing with the Stars'' is the name of various international television series based on the format of the British TV series '' Strictly Come Dancing'', which is distributed by BBC Studios, the commercial arm of the BBC. Currently the forma ...

, which started on 25 August 2019 at Globo’s "Domingão do Faustão". Dos Santos was eliminated from the competition on 1 December 2019, placing fifth.

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 21–10 ,

, TKO (shoulder injury) , Eagle FC 47 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 0:35 ,

Miami, Florida Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 21–9 ,

, TKO (elbow) ,

, , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:34 ,

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

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, TKO (punches) ,

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, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 21–7 ,

, TKO (punches) , UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs. dos Santos , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:06 ,

Raleigh, North Carolina Raleigh (; ) is the capital city of the state of North Carolina and the List of North Carolina county seats, seat of Wake County, North Carolina, Wake County in the United States. It is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, second-most ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 21–6 ,

, TKO (punches) , UFC on ESPN: Ngannou vs. dos Santos , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:11 ,

Minneapolis, Minnesota Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 21–5 ,

, TKO (punches) , UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. dos Santos , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:58 ,

Wichita, Kansas Wichita ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Sedgwick County, Kansas, Sedgwick County. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of the city was 397,532. The Wichita metro area had ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 20–5 ,

, TKO (punches) , UFC Fight Night: dos Santos vs. Tuivasa , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:30 ,

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

, Australia , , - , Win , align=center, 19–5 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: dos Santos vs. Ivanov , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Boise, Idaho Boise (, , ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho and is the county seat of Ada County. On the Boise River in southwestern Idaho, it is east of the Oregon border and north of the Nevada border. The downtown are ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 18–5 ,

, TKO (punches) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:22 ,

Dallas, Texas Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County w ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 18–4 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Rothwell vs. dos Santos , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Zagreb Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slop ...

, Croatia , , - , Loss , align=center, 17–4 ,

, TKO (punches) , UFC on Fox: dos Anjos vs. Cowboy 2 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:43 ,

Orlando, Florida Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County, Florida, Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Greater Orlando, Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, acco ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 17–3 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC on Fox: dos Santos vs. Miocic , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Phoenix Phoenix most often refers to: * Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore * Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States Phoenix may also refer to: Mythology Greek mythological figures * Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 16–3 ,

, TKO (slam and punch) ,

, , align=center, 5 , align=center, 3:09 ,

Houston, Texas Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 16–2 ,

, KO (spinning hook kick) ,

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, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 15–2 ,

, Decision (unanimous) ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 15–1 ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 14–1 ,

, KO (punches) , UFC on Fox: Velasquez vs. dos Santos , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:04 ,

Anaheim, California Anaheim ( ) is a city in northern Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city had a population of 346,824, making it the most populous city in Orange County, the 10th-most p ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 13–1 ,

, Decision (unanimous) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Vancouver, British Columbia Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 12–1 , Roy Nelson , Decision (unanimous) ,

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Oakland, California Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast of the United States, West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 11–1 ,

, TKO (punches) , UFC Live: Vera vs. Jones , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:53 ,

Broomfield, Colorado Broomfield is a consolidated city and county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. Broomfield has a consolidated government which operates under Article XX, Sections 10-13 of the Constitution of the State of Colorado. The Broomfield populatio ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 10–1 ,

, TKO (punches) ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 9–1 ,

, TKO (submission to punch) ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 8–1 ,

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London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, England , , - , Win , align=center, 7–1 ,

, TKO (punches) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:20 ,

Rosemont, Illinois Rosemont is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. Located immediately northwest of Chicago, as of the 2010 census it had a population of 4,202. The village was incorporated in 1956, though it had been settled long before that. Whi ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 6–1 , Geronimo dos Santos , TKO (doctor stoppage) , Demo Fight 3 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:44 ,

, Brazil , , - , Loss , align=center, 5–1 , Joaquim Ferreira , Submission (armbar) , MTL: Final , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:13 ,

São Paulo São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for 'Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the GaWC a ...

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 5–0 , Jair Gonçalves , TKO (punches) , Mo Team League 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:52 ,

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Joaquim Ferreira , TKO (retirement) , XFC: Brazil , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Edson Ramos , TKO (doctor stoppage) , XFC: Brazil , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 8:45 ,

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 ,

Eduardo Maiorino Eduardo "Morpheus" Maiorino (August 16, 1979 – December 23, 2012) was a Brazilian professional kickboxer and mixed martial artist. He was a three time Brazilian Heavyweight Muay Thai Champion, the K-1 Brazil 2004 Tournament finalist and c ...

, Submission (guillotine choke) , Minotauro Fights 5 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:50 ,

São Bernardo do Campo São Bernardo do Campo () is a Brazilian Municipalities of Brazil, municipality in the state of São Paulo. It is part of the Metropolitan Region of São Paulo. The population is 844,483 (2020 est.) in an area of . History The city was founded b ...

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Jailson Silva Santos , KO (soccer kick) , Demo Fight 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:58 ,

, Brazil ,

Pay-per-view bouts

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Santos, Junior Dos Brazilian male mixed martial artists Heavyweight mixed martial artists Brazilian practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu Brazilian sportspeople in doping cases Ultimate Fighting Championship champions Brazilian people of Portuguese descent Brazilian people of African descent Living people 1984 births Brazilian male boxers Doping cases in mixed martial arts People awarded a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu Sportspeople from Santa Catarina (state) Brazilian Roman Catholics Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters Mixed martial artists utilizing boxing Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu 20th-century Brazilian people 21st-century Brazilian people

Background

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Ultimate Fighting Championship (2008–2021)

Debut (2008–2010)

Heavyweight title contender (2010–2011)

UFC Heavyweight Champion (2011–2012)

Back into contention (2013–2021)

Eagle Fighting Championship

Professional wrestling career

All Elite Wrestling (2021–present)

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed Martial Arts

Personal life

Filmography

Mixed martial arts record

Pay-per-view bouts

See also

References

External links