The former heavyweight champion will return to the Octagon in July, against a newcomer.
Junior dos Santos hasn’t competed in a long time but now that his USADA issues are out of the way, he is ready to return to the Octagon. And he’ll do it in the same spot he was in before – as a headliner. The former UFC heavyweight champion will make his return in the main event of a UFC Fight Night show in Boise.
His opponent? Former WSOF/PFL champ Blagoy Ivanov.
The bout was confirmed by ESPN’s Brett Okamoto.
Dos Santos (18-5, 12-4 UFC) will step into the cage for the first time since he was finished by UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic at UFC 211 in May 2017. He is just 3-3 in his last six fights. Dos Santos had tested positive for a banned substance and was provisionally suspended by USADA, but it was found that he took a tainted supplement. He was given a six-month suspension, which has already lapsed.
Ivanov (16-1) will be making his long-awaited UFC debut after runs in Bellator and WSOF. He is perhaps most famous for holding a win over Fedor Emelianenko in combat sambo. His only career MMA loss is to current UFC contender Alexander Volkov.
The UFC event in Boise will go down on July 14th in the CenturyLink Arena.