Junior dos Santos and Alistair Overeem were both released from their Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) contracts yesterday (March 3, 2021) after long runs with the promotion of mixed martial arts (MMA).
Although many were not shocked by the movements, there were still some unanswered questions about why it all went down. There were reports suggesting that “Cigano” was dismissed after refusing a fight against Marcin Tybura, while many felt that “Reem’s high salary was part of his release.
UFC President Dana White, however, says there was no grudge in the decision to let the two men go, saying it is simply part of the fighting game while praising the two heavyweights.
“Nothing happened behind the scenes. Both are great guys, who have had great careers here. First of all, people are cut off every week. Every week a show takes place, people are cut off. I think these two are pretty self-explanatory. It’s nothing negative, it’s just part of the sport, ”White told TMZ Sports.
“If you look at what they’ve done recently, you’ll see their age, see everything that’s going on, it’s pretty self-explanatory.”
The release of “Cigano” was not a shock, as he suffered four consecutive knockout losses (KO). Overeem, meanwhile, comes from a knockout loss at the hands of Alexander Volkov a few weeks ago.
Still, despite the change, White says he has nothing but love for the two men.
“We had a great race and we loved Alistair, as well as Junior dos Santos. Alistair Overeem never said no to a fight, never refused a fight, he would fight anyone. And JDS is one of the coolest human beings in the sport, I have nothing but incredible things to say about the two, ”he added.
“The only thing, age is that we are all men. These guys are staying, you know … I’m sitting here talking about how great they are, so I don’t want to sit here and shit on them, ”said White in reference to the two great men who might have missed a step or three because of their age. We all age and cut people every week. Every week people come and go. ”
RIZIN and Bellator MMA are the two most likely options for the two great men in the future, although it will probably be a while before we figure out what’s next for the two longtime veterans. Overeem knocked out Cigano at his first and only meeting in December 2015.