In a surprising development, the UFC and welterweight Rinat Fakhretdinov have parted ways.
Fakhretdinov (25-2-1 MMA, 6-0-1 UFC) recently completed his fight contract with the UFC, and was not re-signed by the promotion. MMA Junkie confirmed the news following a report from Sherdog.
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The 34-year-old welterweight competed seven times under the promotion’s banner and did not lose a fight.
The final fight of Fakhretdinov’s contract was against Andreas Gustafsson at UFC Fight Night 258 in Paris, a fight he won by TKO in 54 seconds. The result was Fakhretdinov’s second stoppage in the UFC, and a victory that extended his unbeaten streak to 23.
Fakhretdinov did not record a win in one UFC fight: a majority draw against Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos in November 2023. After that result, he won decisions over Nicolas Dalby and Carlos Leal, plus the stoppage of Gustafsson. Other wins under the UFC banner included a first-round submission of Kevin Lee, and decisions over Bryan Battle and Andreas Michailidis.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC passes on re-signing welterweight who went unbeaten in promotion
