Rinat Fakhretdinov was surprisingly passed up by the UFC after his contract came to an end.
Fakhretdinov (25-2-1 MMA, 6-0-1 UFC) was not re-signed by the promotion after scoring a 54-second TKO over Andreas Gustafsson at UFC Fight Night 258 this past September. The 34-year-old went unbeaten in seven octagon fights.
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“Yes, the information is reliable, but there is one catch: No one fired us,” Fakhretdinov said on Instagram (h/t 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 and with a very different pay. As they say, I am basically not in this sport for money.”
Fakhretdinov extended his unbeaten streak to 23 with his win over Gustafsson, in which he scored his second UFC finish. The Russian fighter says he has no regrets, but alluded to issues that he plans on discussing down the line.
“In no case are we worried. We fought with dignity there,” Fakhretdinov said. “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.”
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Rinat Fakhretdinov says ‘offers are pouring in’ after UFC exit
