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Report: UFC drops heavyweights Junior dos Santos, Alistair Overeem

The UFC is reportedly dropping two of its longest-tenured heavyweights.

The promotion has released former heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos and longtime heavyweight Alistair Overeem, according to MMA Junkie. Dos Santos posted a confirmation of the news on Instagram, thanking the promotion for more than a decade of success:

Overeem had two fights left on his contract, while dos Santos had five, according to ESPN's Ariel Helwani.

The decision ends the tenure of two mainstays in the UFC heavyweight division. Dos Santos had been fighting for the promotion since 2008, and reigned atop the division between 2011 and 2012. Overall, he held a 15-8 record as a UFC fighter, though his current four-fight losing streak almost definitely played a part in his exit.

ESPN also reports that dos Santos turned down a short-notice fight against Marcin Tybura at UFC 260 this month, and that decision led to the promotion releasing him.

Overeem came over to the UFC from Strikeforce in 2011, and was soon facing some of the division's top fighters. He missed his lone title shot with a KO loss to Stipe Miocic in 2016, but remained a mainstay in the heavyweight rankings, with an active streak of five straight main event fights.

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