After a lengthy ride with Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), Jussier Formiga was recently cut by the promotion on the heels of a three-fight losing streak. Still, the move was a bit shocking for the Flyweight standout, especially since UFC matchmakers reached out to his team to see if he was healthy enough to fight before the end of 2020.
“My manager said I was on the final stages of recovery, but wasn’t 100 percent ready to fight yet, and they said OK,” Formiga said in an interview with MMA Fighting. “They contacted my manager again last week and said they were going to cut 75 athletes, and I was one of them. What am I going to do? If they decided to cut me, there’s nothing I can do.”
While the move caught him off guard, Formiga says he is thankful and grateful for the opportunity to fight on the biggest stage of them all. All that being said, Jussier never really felt the love from the promotion because he never really felt valued.
“I can’t complain; I can’t be ungrateful to the UFC,” Formiga said. “The UFC was great for me, even though I never felt truly valued in the UFC. But it was a great opportunity in my life, a good time. Everything in life has a beginning and an end.”
Despite coming into the promotion back in 2012 with plenty of hype, Formiga was never able to get over the championship hump. Still, he feels the chances were there for the promotion to give him the shot before the ultimately decided to go another route.
“I think there were many opportunities I could have fought for the belt,” Formiga said. “I fought athletes that fought for the belt, I beat some, but I didn’t fight. It’s a bit confusing to think about it. The first time, I won three in a row and they said I needed one more before fighting for the belt, and I lost a split decision to [Henry] Cejudo in Mexico.
“When I won four in a row, they said they couldn’t create an interim belt because Cejudo had the undisputed [belt]. It’s complex to think that way. That’s why I say I didn’t feel completely valued in the UFC. And I was the only guy to beat the current champion [laughs]. They just don’t give a f*ck. If they wouldn’t value me, then I’ll find my value elsewhere. I’ll find out my true worth.”
Indeed, the Brazilian bomber will now have the chance find out just how much another promotion will value him now that he is free and clear from UFC. There is always Bellator MMA, Professional Fighters League (PFL) and ONE Championship, just to name a few, now it just remains to be see where he lands.