Dos Santos hopes Overeem ‘doesn’t fail drug test this time’

Bloody Elbow 2.0 | Anton Tabuena

Although it is a fight that is slightly past its prime, the UFC has finally booked a heavyweight showdown between former UFC champion Junior dos Santos and former Strikeforce and K-1 champion Alistair Overeem. The two competitors have gone back-and-forth over the past few months and it was only a matter of time before their paths finally crossed inside the Octagon.

However, JDS later went on Instagram, where he suggested that Overeem may not be able to make it to fight night if USADA catches him doping. If not a serious suggestion, it was at the very least a jab at the ‘Reem’s’ performance enhancing drugs history, as Overeem tsted positive for elevated levels of testosterone following UFC 146.

“I don’t choose opponents, but I’m not gonna lie — it will feel great to shut this guy up,” dos Santos posted on his Instagram following the announcement. “USADA Let’s work.”

Dos Santos added in Portuguese, “”I hope he doesn’t fail the drug test this time.” (h/t MMAFighting.com)

The two competitors are scheduled to meet in the co-main event of UFC on FOX 17 on December 19. The main event is a lightweight title fight between Rafael dos Anjos and Donald Cerrone.

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About the author

Karim Zidan

Karim Zidan is a investigative reporter and feature writer focusing on the intersection of sports and politics. He has written for BloodyElbow since 2014 and has served as an associate editor since 2016. He also writes for The New York Times and The Guardian. Karim has been invited to speak about his work at numerous universities, including Princeton, and was a panelist at the South by Southwest (SXSW) film festival and the Oslo Freedom Forum. He also participated in the United Nations counter-terrorism conference in 2021. His reporting on Ramzan Kadyrov’s involvement in MMA, much of which was done for Bloody Elbow, has led to numerous award nominations, and was the basis of an award-winning HBO Real Sports documentary.