Eagle FC has signed three more former UFC talents for their card on May 20.
Former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov continues to pick up recognizable names for his fledgling Eagle FC promotion. With notables like Rashad Evans, Renan Barao, Kevin Lee and Antonio Silva already on the roster, it looks like a few more heavy hitters have been added to the list.
Per an Ag Fight report, later confirmed by ESPN’s Brett Okamoto, former UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos is the latest big-name signing. JDS is currently set to take on fellow Octagon veteran Yorgan de Castro as the main event of Eagle FC’s May 20th fight card main.
On a four-fight losing skid, Dos Santos (21-9) is coming off knockout losses to Ciryl Gane, Jairzinho Rozenstruik, Curtis Blaydes and Francis Ngannou. The 38-year-old’s last win came in March 2019, when he knocked out Derrick Lewis. ‘Cigano’ had previously been linked to a Triad Combat boxing event on February 26, but the fight card was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Already an Eagle FC athlete, De Castro (8-3) had a successful debut with the promotion in his last outing, when he submitted Shaun Asher on January 28th. The win put the 34-year-old at 2-0 following his release from the UFC after three straight losses—to Jarjis Danho, Carlos Felipe and Greg Hardy.
The evening’s co-main event will also feature some well known faces. Though the weight class for the contest hasn’t been revealed, former Bellator middleweight champion Hector Lombard and UFC light heavyweight veteran Thiago Silva are set to square off in Lombard’s first MMA bout since exiting the UFC in 2018.
Away from competition since 2019, Silva (21-9-2 NC) will look to snap a two-fight losing skid at Eagle FC. In his last two outings, the 39-year-old suffered losses to Martin Zawada and Ivan Shtyrkov. The Brazilian last saw his hand raised in October 2018, when he defeated fellow UFC vet James McSweeney via unanimous decision in a heavyweight bout.
Silva was cut from the UFC in 2013 following an incident where he brandished a firearm at a jiu-jitsu gym operated by his estranged wife’s boyfriend. Silva was then re-signed to the UFC after charges were dropped, but cut again shortly after—following the release of disturbing videos and statements from his wife. During his Octagon stint, the Brazilian scored wins over names like Keith Jardine, Rafael Cavalcante and Houston Alexander.
Currently on a six-fight losing skid in MMA, Lombard (34-10-1-2 NC) hasn’t picked up a win in the cage since 2014, when he beat former Strikeforce champion Jake Shields (although a 2015 victory over Josh Burkman was overturned due to a failed drug test). Ultimately, the string of defeats led to the Cuban’s UFC release and to a different sport altogether—with a 3-1 bareknuckle boxing record compiled between 2020-2021.