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Two of the best heavyweight strikers in the world are expected to collide this fall as former UFC champion Junior dos Santos and towering contender Alexander Volkov lock horns at UFC on ESPN+ 21 on Nov. 9 live on ESPN+ from inside CSKA Arena in Moscow, Russia, per Russian news outlet TASS (via MMANytt).
UFC has yet to officially announce the proposed headliner.
Dos Santos, 35, is coming off a rough knockout loss to heavyweight killer Francis Ngannou back in June and desperately needs a quick turnaround win to remain relevant in the division’s title picture. Before his loss to Ngannou, though, JDS had experienced a bit of resurgence by winning three straight fights, including a main event knockout finish over Derrick Lewis this past March. The Brazilian veteran remains one of the most talented strikers in the growing heavyweight division, but doesn’t quite seem to be the same fighter he was earlier in his UFC career. A win over Volkov on enemy territory would do wonders for dos Santos entering 2020 and put him back on track at heavyweight.
Volkov, 30, hasn’t competed since losing in the last 11 seconds of his infamous bout with Derrick Lewis back at UFC 229. That was the first defeat of Volkov’s UFC career as he won his first four trips to the Octagon, including a stunning knockout win over former champion Fabricio Werdum. The massive Russian contender was scheduled to fight Alistair Overeem back in April but was forced to withdraw. As long as Volkov can stay healthy there’s no telling how far he can climb the ladder in 2020. Taking out dos Santos in November will be a good start, especially in front of the Russian’s home crowd.
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