Former UFC heavyweight Junior dos Santos is upset by the cold way the UFC and Dana White cut him, saying “I haven’t talked to him in years.”
White said late last year that the UFC would be making 60 cuts from its roster, and some of them were going to be tough cuts. In recent weeks, both dos Santos and Alistair Overeem, two staples of the UFC heavyweight division for the past decade, were both released. Both men are getting up there in age and both fighters are coming off of TKO losses, to Ciryl Gane and Alexander Volkov, respectively, but it was still surprising to see two top-15 heavyweights get the boot. White suggested it was due to their age and their recent performances, but others have suggested their paychecks were part of the reason, too.
Speaking to MMAFighting.com’s Guilherme Cruz, dos Santos spoke about getting released from the UFC. According to “Cigano,” he found out about the release through American Top Team manager Dan Lambert. The former UFC heavyweight champion said he was saddened that White didn’t personally reach out to him after 12 years with the promotion.
“The UFC didn’t even talk to me. For example, Dana White, I haven’t talked to him in years. Not to ask anything or know anything. They didn’t even talk to me. (They) texted Dan (Lambert) of American Top Team, and it got to me that their decision was to release me from my contract,” dos Santos said.
“I reacted with surprise. I was a little bit impressed by the coldness of how they treated the case. I know it’s a business, (but) they just don’t care. The history we did in there and everything else, the dedication and how everything has always played out, was totally disregarded.”
Dos Santos is now 37 years old and he has lost four straight fights via TKO. Despite his lack of success as of late, dos Santos is not ready to retire. He has mentioned that he hopes to make the move to professional boxing in the near future. He is also currently appealing his TKO loss to Ciryl Gane with the Nevada State Athletic Commission.
Do you think the UFC and Dana White should have had a better line of communication when they released Junior dos Santos?