Another short-notice gamble has ended in a pink slip.
Today (Weds., Feb. 25, 2026), Sherdog reporter Tom Feely revealed Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) newcomer Gianni Vazquez has been released following his unanimous decision loss to Javid Basharat at UFC Vegas 113 earlier this month (Feb. 7, 2026) inside the Meta Apex in Las Vegas.
For what it’s worth, Basharat was also released following the fight, making it a rare double exit.
Vazquez (13-5-1) accepted the bout against Basharat on just two
days’ notice and, all things considered, delivered a respectable performance against the highly skilled Bantamweight contender. But there was one major issue: he came in four pounds heavy at 141 pounds.
Missing weight — especially by that margin — is rarely tolerated by the promotion, and it appears to have cost him his roster spot.
Complicating matters further, Vazquez spent most of his career competing at Flyweight (125 pounds), making the miss at 135 pounds even more puzzling. At 31 years old, and after grinding out five straight wins to finally earn a UFC opportunity, his Octagon run may have come and gone in a single appearance.
Elsewhere, former Ultimate Fighter competitor Nathan Fletcher has also been let go. The Liverpool native — and training partner of Paddy Pimblett — went 1-2 during his UFC stint. Fletcher (9-3) submitted Zygimantas Ramaska in his promotional debut but dropped consecutive decisions to Caolan Loughran and Rinya Nakamura.
Fletcher has already re-signed with Cage Warriors, while Vazquez now looks to rebuild outside the Octagon.
