This past Saturday at UFC 256, Junior Dos Santos (21-9) took on Ciryl Gane (7-0). The former champion entered Saturday on a three-fight losing streak, but more concerning, he had been finished in all three fights.
As the fight got started, Cigano was having a tough time getting inside on Gane. Gane kept the former UFC heavyweight champion at range with a steady kick attack. Whenever JDS would get close, he was throwing everything he had into shots.
It appeared that Dos Santos was just looking for one big knockout blow at UFC 256. He wasn’t putting together crisp boxing combinations, he was head hunting for a knockout. Granted, I figured that’s how he’d need to win, however, he wasn’t sharp in doing so.
After clearly losing the first round, things went really down hill for Dos Santos in the second round. Gane started picking up the pace a little and staggered Cigano with a stiff jab. Dos Santos turned away and Gane followed the former champion to the cage.
Once the fighters were along the fence, Gane landed some massive elbows that floored the former UFC champion. Follow up shots caused the fight to get stopped and Dos Santos had suffered his fourth straight loss all by KO or TKO.
What’s next after UFC 256?
Dos Santos protested after the fight at UFC 256 was over. JDS was angry telling the referee that the shot landed to the back of his head. The shot did catch a lot of the backside of his head, however, that was because of the way JDS was turning.
The shot was not intentional and had Dos Santos not been moving, it would’ve landed on the ear. Thus, the shot was legal and the former champion suffered another defeat. I think we’ve seen the last of JDS inside the octagon.
That pains me to say as someone who’s always been a massive fan of Junior Dos Santos. I’ve always been a fan and he’s arguably the nicest guy in the UFC. However, four straight KO or TKO losses doesn’t spell well for the former champion.
Dana White said in the post-fight press conference that JDS might be done with the UFC. Considering the roster cuts that are also occurring, I think JDS will be looking for a new home after this loss.
I don’t think Dos Santos will retire. He will likely move on to another promotion, but it’ll be interesting to see where he goes. If I had to take a guess, I would say that PFL would be the favorite to land the former champion.