Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
It looks like Junior dos Santos will return to the Octagon in late January.
Junior dos Santos was forced out of a December bout due to a staph infection, but the UFC has apparently re-booked him for six weeks after that. According to a report from ESPN, JDS is set to meet Curtis Blaydes in the main event of UFC Raleigh on January 25th.
The bout has been verbally agreed to but hasn’t been completely finalized, according to the report.
Dos Santos (21-6, 15-5 UFC) had a three-fight winning streak snapped by Francis Ngannou, who stopped the former champ in just 71 seconds in June.
Blaydes (12-2, 1 NC, 7-2, 1 NC UFC) has won two fights in a row, most recently defeating Shamil Abdurakhimov via TKO in September. His only two losses in the UFC have come at the hands of the aforementioned Ngannou.
Blaydes is currently ranked as the number three contender in the official UFC rankings. Dos Santos currently sits at four.
UFC Raleigh will go down in the PNC Arena on January 25th.