Werdum and Junior dos Santos set for grappling trilogy bout at Kings Championship 2

Former UFC heavyweight champions Fabricio Werdum and Junior dos Santos will collide in a grappling match as the featured attraction at Kings Championship 2 in Florianópolis, Santa Catarina on August 8, Kings MMA head Rafael Cordeiro has confirmed. The event, which will also include MMA bouts, is being promoted with the support of the local state governor, with a full card announcement expected in the coming weeks.

The matchup completes a trilogy that began at UFC 90 in October 2008, when dos Santos stopped Werdum by first-round TKO. The pair met again at Gamebred Bareknuckle 5 on September 8, 2023, with dos Santos earning a split-decision victory — meaning Werdum has yet to record a win over his Brazilian compatriot across two very different rule sets.

Dos Santos enters the contest on the back of a difficult outing. He suffered a first-round knockout loss to Robelis Despaigne at Most Valuable Promotions’ “Rousey vs. Carano” event on May 16. Werdum, meanwhile, has not competed since the bareknuckle rematch with dos Santos nearly two years ago.

The Kings Championship 2 card sits within a busy three-week stretch for Brazilian combat sports fans. On August 29, Spaten’s third event will headline with a boxing match between former UFC light heavyweight champions Mauricio Rua and Glover Teixeira — meaning four ex-UFC titleholders will appear on Brazilian soil across the month, each competing under a different format than the one that made them famous.