Junior dos Santos vs. Alexander Volkov announced for UFC Moscow main event

The UFC’s return to Moscow will have a heavyweight headliner.

Officials announced Sunday that former UFC champion Junior dos Santos and top contender Alexander Volkov are set for the main event of the promotion’s Nov. 9 show in Russia. This matchup was first reported to be in the works by Russian news agency TASS.

Dos Santos (21-6) is coming off of a first-round TKO loss to Francis Ngannou that snapped a three-fight winning streak. Prior to that setback, “Cigano” had scored consecutive wins over Derrick Lewis, Tai Tuivasa, and Blagoy Ivanov. The 35-year-old is currently competing on Danca dos Famosos, the Brazilian version of Dancing with the Stars.

This will be Volkov’s first fight of 2019 after a previously scheduled meeting with Alistair Overeem in April fell through. The 30-year-old Russian will also be looking to rebound from a loss after being KO’d by Lewis last October at UFC 229. Volkov, a former Bellator heavyweight champion, started his Octagon career with four consecutive victories, including a fourth-round knockout of former UFC champion Fabricio Werdum.

UFC Moscow takes place at CSKA Arena in Moscow, Russia, with the main card airing on the ESPN+ streaming service.