Miss Universe Dayana Mendoza, who relinquishes her crown August 23 at the Atlantis resort in the Bahamas, is preparing to leave her post with a bang!

The Venezuelan stunner will appear topless in Maxim's September issue, according to the New York Post. This comes after the minor uproar last year surrounding a controversial Dayana Mendoza nude jewelry ad that was discovered (below).

That's a no-no for Miss Universe contestants, as beauty queens are clearly the most upstanding, straight-arrow citizens on this planet, as we all know.

But Dayana Mendoza will be free of her Miss Universe shackles soon.

Word is she got pageant owner Donald Trump's permission before posing naked for Maxim. A good move, but maybe not totally necessary. The Donald didn't fire Carrie Prejean over her topless pictures ... just breaking her contract.

For those of you unfamiliar with the beautiful Miss Universe Dayana Mendoza, here's a sneak preview of what her Maxim photo spread might look like ...

Is this Dayana Mendoza nude ad a preview of things to come?