REPORT | Junior dos Santos vs. Kubrat Pulev Targeted For Triller Triad Combat Event In 2022

A heavyweight boxing match pitting former undisputed UFC heavyweight champion, Junior dos Santos, and recent feature, former IFB and WBA heavyweight champion, Kubrat Pulev is currently in the works to land on a Triller Triad Combat card in 2022, with MMA Junkie reporters, Danny Segura and Nolan King noting a potential February event – following an initial report from TMZ. 

Junior dos Santos set to make his combat return for the first time since last December

Expected to make his first outing since his release from the UFC back in March of this year, dos Santos, a former undisputed heavyweight champion under the promotion’s banner, had been linked to a potential move to Eagle FC, led by Khabib Nurmagomedov, especially after reports emerged detailing how dos Santos was now managed by Dominance MMA leader, Ali Abdelaziz. 

In his last professional outing, the Santa Catarina native suffered his fourth consecutive knockout loss – dropping a second round defeat to current interim division titleholder, Ciryl Gane at UFC 256 in December.

For Pulev, the Bulgarian-born veteran headlined the most recent Triller Triad Combat showcase in November, taking on common-foe, another former UFC heavyweight champion, Frank Mir, in an MMA vs. boxing matchup.

Scoring a dominant first round knockout win. Pulev managed to land his fifteenth professional knockout win in combat sports.

The 40-year-old last featured professionally as a boxer in December of last year, dropping just his second professional loss from a 30-fight career in the form of a ninth round knockout defeat to Anthony Joshua in a WBA, IBF, WBO, IBO heavyweight title fight.

dos Santos, 37, is without a victory since March 2019 where he earned Fight of the Night in an eventual third round knockout win over recent UFC Vegas 45 headliner, Derrick Lewis. The stoppage came as dos Santos’ fifteenth professionally via strikes. 

Pulev’s sole other professional boxing loss came against former champion, the heralded, Wladimir Klitschko back in 2014, with the European Championship gold medalist scoring wins over the likes of Tony Thompson, Derek Chisora, Kevin Johnson, Hughie Fury, and Rydell Brooker.