UFC is no longer in the Rinat Fakhretdinov business.
Despite a 12-year unbeaten streak and a violent, first-round finish over Swedish slugger Andreas Gustafsson
just a few months back, the 34 year-old “Gladiator” was not re-signed after completing his UFC contract at UFC Paris. the promotion didn’t specify why matchmakers were no longer high on Fakhretdinov, but the 24-1-1 Russian points to “small nuances” that may have been a contributing factor.“Yes, the information is reliable, but there is one
catch: No one fired us,” Fakhretdinov said on Instagram (translated by ParamPam1990). “Our contract just expired and for certain reasons, it was not renewed. There are small nuances that I will not tell you here. Nothing terrible happened and the offers are pouring in with very different pay.”
“As they say, I am basically not in this sport for money,” Fakhretdinov added. “In no case are we worried. We fought with dignity there. Believe me, we have not said everything there, of course. We would have caused problems to some people there, but apparently this also got in someone’s way.”
The biggest name outside of UFC at the moment is Professional Fighters League (PFL). In addition, Brave Combat Federation (Brave CF) has been making a name for itself overseas while also picking up talented MMA fighters no longer wanted by UFC (like this standout featherweight). No word yet on when or where Fakhretdinov is expected to land in 2026, but it sounds like he’s ready to compete.
Loik Radzhabov and Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos also said goodbye during UFC’s latest round of roster cuts.
