UFC releases former heavyweight champion Junior Dos Santos

Former UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos. (Jason Redmond/AP)

Junior Dos Santos has competed in the UFC for the final time after the promotion released the former heavyweight champion earlier this week.

The 37-year-old confirmed in a post on Instagram his impressive run in the UFC has come to an end.

“Thanks @ufc for a great 12 years!” Dos Santos wrote. “I fought through MMA’s Murderer’s Row to get my shot at the belt. Holding and defending it was one of the great honors of my life. Thanks to every opponent, thanks to every fan and every critic. I’m going to spend some time back at the drawing board, but I’m excited to move on.”

Dos Santos made his UFC debut in 2008 with an upset knockout win over Fabricio Werdum. The power puncher would go on to defeat Stefan Struve, Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic, Gilbert Yvel, Roy Nelson and Shane Carwin to earn a title shot against then-undefeated champion Cain Velasquez.

In 2011, Dos Santos knocked out Velasquez in 64 seconds to win the title in the UFC’s first fight featured on network television. Dos Santos defended his title against Frank Mir before losing the belt to Velasquez in their 2012 rematch.

His post-title run saw him pick up wins over the likes of Stipe Miocic, Mark Hunt, and Derrick Lewis among others but Dos Santos was never able to regain the belt despite earning two additional title shots.

Dos Santos went 5-7 over his past dozen Octagon appearances with all seven losses being technical knockouts to some of the sport’s heaviest hitters. His most recent outing was a TKO loss to Ciryl Gane in December.

The Brazilian fan favourite, who did not announce his retirement, will in all likelihood end up in the UFC Hall of Fame one day in the future.

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