Islam Makhachev may have an answer as to why the UFC decided to part ways with Rinat Fakhretdinov.
Last week, reports surfaced that the MMA promotion opted not to offer Fakhretdinov a new contract after his initial seven-fight deal came to an end.
“Gladiator” compiled a 6–0–1 record during his stint in the UFC, punctuating his run with a blistering 54-second TKO of Andreas Gustafsson in his most recent appearance at UFC Paris this past September.
Fakhretdinov made his promotional debut at UFC Vegas 56 in June 2022 and went on to notch victories over fighters like Carlos Leal, Kevin Lee, and Bryan Battle.