Springer released, says UFC was ‘pissed’ he missed weight on short-notice

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

Austin Springer missed weight and lost to Alex Caceres in his UFC debut, and now he has been cut by the promotion. Austin Springer might have stepped up on a day’s notice to fight Alex Caceres at UFC Vegas …

UFC Fight Night: Caceres v Springer

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

Austin Springer missed weight and lost to Alex Caceres in his UFC debut, and now he has been cut by the promotion.

Austin Springer might have stepped up on a day’s notice to fight Alex Caceres at UFC Vegas 8, but after missing weight and losing the fight the UFC has cut him from the promotion.

Caceres went through two opponent changes before Springer stepped in to fight him at UFC Vegas 8, with “Bruce Leeroy” going on to win by first-round submission. Springer revealed on Instagram that the UFC was “pissed” he missed weight and was therefore released from his contract.

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Yesterday I was informed that the UFC has decided to fire me. They were pissed that I missed weight, and decided rather than give me another opportunity, they’re releasing me from my contract. That hurts! On my way to the airport I told my sons that the only/last promotion I would ever fight in was the UFC. It has been an incredible journey. It’s been an amazing experience. For 15 years my goal was to compete in the UFC, and I achieved that. For years I felt like a runner up (so to speak). I got a Bellator fight, I won, they didn’t offer me a contract. I got on the Ultimate Fighter, then didn’t win the fight to actually fight in the UFC. I got 2 weeks notice to fight on “Dana White’s Contender Series” and won and didn’t get a contract. Always the bridesmaid, never the bride is what it started to feel like. Then it happened, I fought in the UFC. Dang it felt good. Was it ideal, no. It was incredible though! It’s something I will remember and cherish forever! Set big goals, dream big, and don’t be afraid of failure! Struggle and failure breed success! Thank you to my wife for being the most incredibly supportive partner. No amount of words can express how helpful and supportive she has always been. Being a fighter’s wife quite frankly sucks a lot of the time, and she handed it incredibly! Thank you to all my family for alway believing in me and supporting me. To my friends and family for cheering and encouraging, thank you! I’ve had great coaches and training partners that have had a great hand in helping accomplish what I have, thank you as well!

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“Yesterday I was informed that the UFC has decided to fire me,” Springer wrote. “They were pissed that I missed weight, and decided rather than give me another opportunity, they’re releasing me from my contract. That hurts!”

Springer continued by saying it was “incredible” to fight in the UFC after missing out a contact following his time on The Ultimate Fighter and Dana White’s Contender Series.

“I’m disappointed but it’s such a mix of feelings,” Springer told The Columbian. “On the one hand I’m very happy with what I’ve achieved and getting to the UFC, but on the other side, I didn’t see a debut loss happening for me. So I go back and forth between frustrated but also happy.”