Junior dos Santos is no longer with the UFC.
The former UFC heavyweight champion announced the news Wednesday on Instagram that he had been cut by the Las Vegas-based promotion.
However, there are no hard feelings as “JDS” reflected on what he called a “great” 12 years with the company.
“Thanks @ufc for a great 12 years! 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 
OSS.”
(@juniorcigano)This news is not much of a surprise.
The UFC has been cutting a number of its older fighters in recent months and anyone on a losing streak is virtually at risk of departing the promotion.
And following his second-round TKO defeat to Ciryl Gane in December, the writing was on the wall for Dos Santos who had lost four in a row as a result — with all four losses coming by way of knockout.
Dos Santos leaves the promotion as a former heavyweight champion when he became the first man to defeat Cain Velasquez. He defended the belt once before losing the belt to Velasquez and then going on to lose the trilogy.
In total, the Brazilian went 15-8 with the UFC and holds wins over other big names such as Frank Mir, Mirko Cro Cop, Fabricio Werdum, Shane Carwin, Mark Hunt and current heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic.
What do you make of this news?