Gokhan Saki parts ways with UFC, teases return to kickboxing

Kickboxing legend Gokhan Saki has been released by the UFC, and is seemingly plotting a return to the sport that made him a superstar.

Saki, the 2008 K-1 World Grand Prix Champion and former Glory Light Heavyweight Champion, signed with the UFC to much acclaim in 2017. He made his debut with the promotion in Japan in September of that year, weathering some early adversity to turn the lights out on Henrique da Silva in the waning moments of the first round.

Saki then returned to the Octagon in July of 2018, when he succumbed to a volley of first-round punches from Khalil Rountree in a shocking loss. He has not fought since then, having been sidelined by a string of injuries.

While it appears Saki does intend to fight again, his next fight will not occur in the UFC.

According to the Twitter account Beyond Kickboxing, the Turkish star is the latest in a long string of fighters to be released from the UFC roster of late.

Kickboxing legend Gökhan Saki has been released by the UFC.

What's next for him? pic.twitter.com/9CEHYs9mdo

— Beyond Kickboxing (@Beyond_Kick) February 8, 2021

In the days leading up to this news of his UFC release, Saki had been teasing a return to kickboxing.

“Which fighter would you like me to fight next?” Saki wrote in the caption for a photo from his fight with Rico Verhoeven at Glory 11.

“Next move,” he added in another post that showed him decked out in kickboxing gear.

While Saki will exit the UFC roster with a 1-2 MMA record, his kickboxing record is extremely impressive. He’s 81-16 in that arena, earning a whopping 56 wins by knockout, which helped earn him the nickname “The Turkish Tyson.”

The UFC has released a long list of fighters recently, ostensibly to make room for new fighters signed through programs like Dana White Contender Series.

What do you think the future holds for Gokhan Saki after his release from the UFC roster?