UFC 256 proved to be a roller coaster ride for Brazilian MMA fans.
While Deiveson Figueiredo managed to retain his flyweight strap in what proved to be a “Fight of the Night” performance against Brandon Moreno, two longtime veterans — Ronaldo Souza and Junior dos Santos — came up short in their respective outings.
Again.
For Souza, 41, his knockout loss to Kevin Holland marked his third straight defeat. In fact, “Jacare” has now dropped five of his last seven. Dos Santos, meanwhile, has now been knocked out four straight times after getting wiped by Ciryl Gane on the UFC 256 main card.
“Cigano” turns 37 in January.
When asked if it was time for the ex-heavyweight champion to think about his fighting future, promotion president Dana White remarked “I do,” before addressing other media members at the UFC 256 post-fight press conference about the futures of Dos Santos and Souza.
“That’s every weekend,” White said about additional roster cuts. “We’ll be talking about this next weekend, too, after the fights. It’s part of the sport. Between last year and next year, you’re going to see a lot of the old big names moving on and retiring.”
UFC has not been shy about letting go of its battle-tested veterans. Fabricio Werdum, Anderson Silva, and Yoel Romero, among others, have all parted ways with the promotion over the last few months.
Souza and Dos Santos, sadly, may not be far behind.