Former UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos issued a statement confirming that he was released by the world’s leading MMA promotion.

Dos Santos and his former rival Alistair Overeem were both removed from the UFC rankings on Wednesday, which indicated they were released by the promotion. Not long after word broke on social media that “Cigano” and “Ubereem” were cut, the Brazilian took to his social media to confirm the news. Check out the statement JDS posted on Instagram.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CL-cSTlJb51/

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

Dos Santos (21-9) was a key figure in the UFC heavyweight division between 2008 and 2020, going 15-8 over that time period while fighting the best heavyweights in the world. JDS has notable wins over the likes of Stipe Miocic, Cain Velasquez, Mark Hunt, Derrick Lewis, Fabricio Werdum, Roy Nelson, Shane Carwin, and Stefan Struve, among others.

In November 2011, JDS knocked out Velasquez at the UFC on FOX 1 card. He would go on to defend his belt successfully once against Frank Mir before coughing it up to Velasquez in a rematch. After beating Hunt via spinning wheel kick, JDS lost the trilogy to Velasquez at UFC 166, the first time he was knocked out in an MMA fight. He was never the same after the trilogy with Velasquez, and after losing his last four fights by knockout, the UFC decided that it was time to part ways. It seems like JDS still wants to fight next, so it will be interesting to see what if any promotions would have interesting in signing him.

What do you think is next for Junior dos Santos after getting cut by the UFC?