Poatan and Yousri celebrate their UFC victory. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram/yousriofficial
Yousri Belgaroui , former rival of Alex Poatan and current training partner of the Brazilian, will face a new challenge. The Dutchman will face Brazilian Djorden Santos at UFC Noche , scheduled for September 12th at the Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona. The fight will be in the middleweight division (up to 83,9 kg). The fight was announced after Kelvin Gastelum was removed from the card.
Now, Belgaroui seeks to take another step in his UFC career. The Dutchman joined the organization after winning in Dana White's Contender Series and debuted in October 2025, when he defeated Azamat Bekoev by technical knockout in the third round. In March of this year, he won again, defeating Mansur Abdul-Malik by technical knockout in the third round.
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At 29 years old, Djorden Santos has a professional record of 11 wins and three losses, with four wins by submission and three by knockout. Representing American Top Team, the Brazilian will face an opponent known for his striking game and knockout power: Yousri Belgaroui has eight knockout wins and is on a five-fight winning streak.
For the Dutchman, it will be an opportunity to maintain his momentum and extend his winning streak. For Djorden, the fight represents a chance to recover from his last result and achieve a significant victory over an experienced name on the international scene.
Understand the rivalry between Alex Poatan and Yousri Belgaroui.
Poatan and Yousri celebrate their UFC victory. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram/yousriofficial
The story between Belgaroui and Poatan began long before their training partnership, back when they were rivals in kickboxing. In 2017, the athletes faced each other three times for GLORY. In their first encounter, at GLORY 40 in Copenhagen, the Dutchman won by unanimous decision and earned the opportunity to fight for the middleweight title.
Months later, the two met again at GLORY 49. Alex Poatan managed to get his revenge and defeated Yousri Belgaroui by medical stoppage in the third round, evening the record between the rivals. In their third encounter, in July 2018, the Brazilian won by knockout in the first round. The rivalry, however, is in the past , and the two ended up building a partnership in training.
The UFC confirmed it on their Instagram.
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