JDS Vs. ‘Bigi Boy’ In The Works For UFC 252

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A massive heavyweight clash is in the works as former UFC champion Junior dos Santos is expected to face knockout sensation Jairzinho Rozenstruik at UFC 252 on August 15, per a recent report by Brazilian news outlet Combate.

UFC has yet to make any official announcement as the heavyweight bout remains “in the works.”

Dos Santos, 36, is far removed from his days as the best heavyweight in the world, but “Cigano” is still a major contender in the division at this point in his career. Since his last UFC title fight opposite Stipe Miocic back in 2017, JDS has produced a 3-2 record inside of the Octagon with wins over Derrick Lewis, Tai Tuivasa, and Blagoy Ivanov. The veteran heavyweight is coming off back-to-back losses for the first time in his professional career so a win for dos Santos is going to be huge entering the final months of the year.

Rozenstruick, 32, is coming off a brutal 20-second knockout loss to legendary power puncher Francis Ngannou back at UFC 249. Before that, “Bigi Boy” had captured four-straight knockout wins to start his UFC career, including finishes over veterans Alistair Overeem and Andrei Arlovski. Despite his loss to “Predator,” Rozenstruick remains one of the more promising contenders in the heavyweight division today. A victory over a household name like dos Santos is exactly what he needs to right the ship.

UFC 252 is expected to be headlined by the heavyweight trilogy bout between current UFC champion Stipe Miocic and former two-division king Daniel Cormier. Both heavyweights have a knockout win over the other.

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