The UFC is notoriously hard on its stable of fighters, demanding the best from everyone who competes. Sadly, there have to be losers, and three fighters who have found themselves on the wrong side of the results have been let go.
Istela Nunes, Diana Belbita, and Seung Woo Choi have all been let go following recent poor performances on April 5th’s UFC Vegas 105.
This came at a time when UFC events are coming thick and fast, with the April 5th event followed by UFC 314 in Miami and Kansas, Des Moines, and Montreal all hosting fight nights over the coming weeks. Gambling expert Matt Bastock explains that the events draw a lot of interest from bettors, and online sportsbooks available to US customers offer a variety of betting markets, generous promotions, and competitive betting odds. (Source: https://casinobeats.com/betting-sites/)
Sadly for the three fighters let go, they won’t be attending future events, but it won’t mean the end of their MMA careers. Istela Nunes went on a five-fight losing streak since losing to Ariane Carnelossi in 2021. The one-time ONE Championship title contender joined the UFC with a 2-1 record, but the 32-year-old Brazilian struggled to compete at the higher level.
Diana Belbita is a 29-year-old Romanian flyweight who joined the UFC in 2019. She lost her first two fights on a decision against Molly McCann and tapped to an armbar against Liana Jojua. A 2021 win against Hannah Goldy, thanks to a unanimous decision, before losing a unanimous decision against Gloria de Paula.
She got back on track in 2023 with a win against Maria Oliveira, but three defeats in a row signalled the end of her UFC career, with her last two defeats ending in the first round against Molly McCann and Dione Barbosa.
South Korean Choi Seung Woo joined the UFC in 2019 from the TFC, where he had a 5-1 fight record. His UFC record has not been as impressive, with 4 wins and 7 defeats.
His first two fights in the UFC ended in defeat against Movsar and Evloev and Gavin Tucker before he went on a 3-fight winning streak. He beat Suman Mokhtarian by a unanimous decision in December 2021 but had to wait until February 2021 for his next fight because of three cancellations against Youssef Zalal, Steven Peterson, and Collin Anglin.
A rearranged fight against Zalal saw him win by unanimous decision before a first-round win against Julian Erosa. Three defeats followed before a win against Jarno Errens in August 2023, but 2 more defeats against Steve Garcia and Kevin Vallejos were his final UFC bouts.
The UFC was quick to wish the fighters well in their careers, and they will have lots of options open to them, with some good years’ worth of fighting left in them.
Dropping to a less competitive promotion company could help them find the form they need to compete for belts.
