Former UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos has given his thoughts on his UFC release.

‘Cigano’ was released from the promotion in March 2021. The parting of ways wasn’t shocking, as he’d lost four straight fights. Dos Santos was brutally knocked out by Francis Ngannou, Curtis Blaydes, Jairzinho Rozenstruik, and Ciryl Gane in his final bouts.

Since his release, the former UFC heavyweight champion has dabbled in pro wrestling in AEW. He’s now set for his first MMA fight since his UFC departure at Eagle FC 47 against Yorgan De Castro on Friday.

Junior dos Santos has now admitted that he felt a bit used by the promotion in an interview with MMAJunkie. The 38-year-old noted that he felt like the UFC just used him to build up new faces in the octagon. His comments come just weeks after another Brazilian, Anderson Silva, voiced displeasure with the UFC’s tactics with older fighters.

“I was feeling pressured. The way that things happened, we’re under pressure all the time. I feel like they were trying to drain everything I could provide for them to build other names and things like that they could maybe do work [with]… That’s what my feeling is. It doesn’t mean anything. They’re a huge company. It’s kind of stupid of me thinking that they would put that much focus and attention on top of me.”

Junior dos Santos continued, “But that’s how I felt, and if I feel that way, things don’t go very right inside of me, so that’s why… That’s the reality. I know it’s a business and they’re there to make money and they’re doing great actually doing that. Man, there’s nothing really covering or helping the fighters, you know? ”

What do you think about Junior dos Santos’s comments about the UFC?