Jessica Aguilar’s days in the UFC appear to be over.
Almost four years ago to the day, strawweight veteran Jessica Aguilar (20-8) was granted her release from World Series of Fighting and famously said, “I’ve decided to become the next UFC champion.”
Well that never materialized, and after an injury-riddled stint inside the Octagon, Aguilar’s days in the UFC appear to be done.
The 36-year-old confirmed to MMA Fighting that she’s no longer in USADA’s testing pool, thus signalling that the UFC has opted not to renew her contract or even re-sign her.
”I haven’t received any communications from the UFC,” Aguilar said. “However my last fight against Marina Rodriguez was the last on my contract. I did receive an e-mail last night from USADA stating that I was being removed from the testing pool which I assume means the UFC has decided not to offer me a new contract. This business tough, but well worth it if you love fighting as much as I do. I have dedicated over 13 years of my life to MMA and consider myself a pioneer of WMMA.”
Aguilar was just 1-4 during her UFC run, losing her debut to Claudia Gadelha by decision. An ACL tear set her back until she finally returned in May 2017, dropping a decision to Cortney Casey. Multiple cancelled fights and a medical issue led to another long layoff, but she finally did get her first UFC win last July vs. Jodie Esquibel. A submission loss to Weili Zhang followed that November, and most recently in March she was largely outclassed by Marina Rodriguez.
While things didn’t pan out for Aguilar in the UFC, she is still hopeful that she can fight in her native Mexico when the UFC returns to Mexico City on September 21st.
”With this news, I still hope that I can get a chance to make another one of my dreams a reality in getting the opportunity to fight in Mexico,” Aguilar said. “I’ve been blessed to fight at the highest level and for all the largest promotions for so many years. I am grateful for the opportunity the UFC has given me. Thank you to everyone who has shown support, I’m truly grateful. My journey continues and I continue to ‘Smile & Believe.’”
In her prime, Aguilar was best known for competing in Bellator MMA and in WSOF, winning the latter promotion’s 115 lbs title and defending it twice prior to her UFC signing. Now the next chapter of her career will be (presumably) in another promotion.