KEY POINTS

  • Junior dos Santos was cut from the UFC, but he is likely to join a new promotion
  • Alistair Overeem has yet to decide if he will continue his MMA career
  • Dos Santos and Overeem have been staples of the UFC heavyweight division for years

The UFC has released familiar names in the heavyweight division--with reports that Junior dos Santos and Alistair Overeem have been given their walking papers.

Both have been on a bad run, and it appears that gave the promotion enough reason to move on from the two established mixed martial artists.

On one end is Dos Santos who revealed his plight on social media. The former UFC heavyweight champion revealed that his 12-year stint with the organization has come to an end, stressing that holding and defending the title was one of the highlights of his great run.

"I fought through MMA Murderer's Row to get my shot at the belt," Dos Santos’ Instagram post read. "Holding and defending it was one of the great honors of my life. Thanks to every opponent, thanks to every fan and every critic. I'm going to spend some time back at the drawing board, but I'm excited to move on."

The update would, later on, be confirmed by ESPN’s Brett Okamoto.

Junior dos Santos
Junior dos Santos could take one step closer to getting another title shot with a win over Tai Tuivasa. In this picture, Dos Santos celebrates after defeating Stipe Miocic (not pictured) by unanimous decision in their heavyweight bout during the UFC Fight Night event at the at U.S. Airways Center in Phoenix, Arizona, Dec. 13, 2014. Christian Petersen/Getty Images

Dos Santos last entered the cage at UFC 256. He lost to Ciryl Gane, losing in the second round via TKO. After the bout, UFC president Dana White suggested that the Brazilian consider hanging up the gloves for good.

"Cigano" chose to stay on as he had five fights remaining in his UFC contract. However, his situation took a turn for the worse. Many believe that the reason behind Don Santos' release from the UFC was when he declined a showdown against Marcin Tybura for UFC 260 on March 29 because he did not have ample time to prepare.

Walt Harris (L) of the United States fights Alistair Overeem (R)
Walt Harris (L) of the United States fights Alistair Overeem (R) Getty Images | Douglas P. DeFelice

As for Overeem, his release comes not long after a knockout loss to Alexander Volkov last month. It snapped a two-fight winning streak for the Dutch hard-hitter who previously held the Strikeforce and DREAM heavyweight titles.

Already 40 years old, Overeem has yet to decide on whether he would be fighting again or not.

There is a possibility that both Dos Santos and Overeem may end up landing with different promotions. The Professional Fighters League and ONE Championship could be potential next stops, with both groups owning several high-profile competitors in the sport.

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