Former UFC heavyweight champion Junior Dos Santos will face ex-world series of fighting heavyweight king Blagoy Ivanov in the main headliner of UFC Fight Night 133 on July 14, 2018, inside CenturyLink Arena in Boise, Idaho. Espn first confirmed the news on Monday.
Santos didn’t compete inside the Octagon since May 2017 where he lost the bout against Stipe Miocic via TKO at UFC 211 and is 3-3 in his last six fights. The former champ was found not guilty after flagged by USADA for potential anti-doping violations, tested positive for banned diuretic hydrochlorothiazide. After extensive research, USADA said he took a tainted supplement which ended his suspension and cleared Santos to fight again immediately.
Ivanov (16-1), will make his long-awaited Octagon debut after competing in Bellator and WSOF. The Bulgarian heavyweight is a decorated wrestler and lost only once in his professional career against Alexander Volkov at Bellator 120 in May 2014. Ivanov is currently riding on a five-fight win streak and best known for holding a win over legendary Fedor Emelianenko at the 2008 World Sambo Championships.
UFC Fight Night 133 will also include the women’s bantamweight showdown between Cat Zingano and Marion Reneau.
