Gamebred Bareknuckle 5 Results: Junior Dos Santos Defeats Fabricio Werdum In Rematch

Junior Dos Santos and Fabricio Werdum made a stunning combat sports return at the Gamebred Bareknuckle 5 last weekend. The two former UFC heavyweight champions were the headlining act at Jorge Masvidal’s bare-knuckle fighting promotion. The event took place at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida.

Fans were undoubtedly hyped to see the two legendary heavyweights make their in-cage comeback after an extended layoff. Their recent fight was further highlighted as a must-watch affair due to their past rivalry in the UFC. They previously fought at UFC 90 in October 2008, where Junior Dos Santos defeated Fabricio Werdum via a devastating first-round knockout.

Given their advanced age, neither heavyweights were expected to engage in a barnburner slugfest. However, Werdum and Dos Santos exceeded every expectation and put on a blockbuster fight for the fans. While ‘Vai Cavalo’ didn’t end up getting knocked out once again, he lost the fight on the judges’ scorecards. Junior Dos Santos emerged victorious via split decision after three brutal rounds.

While Fabricio Werdum tanked most of Junior Dos Santos’ shots in the first round, the heavyweight veteran didn’t look comfortable afterwards. The 39-year-old Dos Santos looked like he was in total control throughout the three rounds and breezed past his longtime rival. 

While the two veterans certainly brought fireworks to the event, ‘Vai Cavalo’ was quite badly injured during the fight. Due to the nature of their striking exchanges, Werdum’s eyelids were considerably damaged and heavily bleeding. Even the commentary team couldn’t help but emote strongly about his eye injury. 

Before this heavyweight matchup, promotional frontman Jorge Masvidal had announced that the winner of the Gamebred Bareknuckle 5 headliner would face off against the winner of the Roy Nelson vs. Alan Belcher bout for the promotion’s inaugural heavyweight championship. The Nelson vs. Belcher bout is set to take place at Gamebred Bareknuckle 6 on October 28 in Jackson, Mississippi.