Fighter admits he considered ‘ending it all’ after UFC release: ‘It was a bad time’

Kris Moutinho took his UFC release hard. Very hard.

Moutinho, 32, signed with the UFC on short notice in 2021, when he stepped in for the injured Louis Smolka against future bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley. Moutinho lost that fight—decisively—but weathered an insane amount of punishment from O’Malley, and ultimately survived all three rounds. His toughness earned him a $75,000 Fight of the Night bonus. Usually, those bonuses are just $50,000, which says something.

After his gritty performance against O’Malley, Moutinho was given another shot in the UFC. Unfortunately, he suffered a first-round TKO loss to Guido Cannetti in his next fight. After that, the UFC sent him packing.

That’s where things got very bleak for the ultra tough bantamweight.

“I went through a really bad time with relationships, with everything else in my life and I was just a mess,” Moutinho said during UFC Atlanta media day (via MMA Fighting). “I was very close to ending this thing, ending it all and being done, and I don’t want to talk too much about it but it was a bad time. One of the worst times in my life. I found the girl I’m with now, my beautiful girlfriend, she saved me. Saved my life. Helped me find God a lot better and I’m just in a better place.”

Kris Moutinho returns to the Octagon at UFC Atlanta

After getting his mental health in check, Kris Moutinho got back to work on the regional scene. Safe to say he’s back on track. He has won 5-straight MMA fights since leaving the Octagon. That streak was impressive enough to inspire UFC matchmakers to give him another call.

Moutinho is now set to return to the UFC at this Saturday’s card in Atlanta. His opponent will be Malcolm Wellmaker.

“I feel like I’m where God put me, where I’m supposed to be,” Moutinho said. “I feel like this [version of me] is the guy that should have been here in 2021. The guy that is mentally focused, enjoys this stuff again.

“[Back] then, I was just going through the motions and I was happy to be here but I was kind of just happy to be here. I’m not that guy no more. I don’t care. I’m coming to kill. I’m coming to knock him out. He has to kill me to get me out of there.”

No matter how his UFC return goes, we’re glad to hear Kris Moutinho is feeling better. Always remember to talk to somebody if you’re considering self-harm. Most countries also have a suicide helpline that people can call 24/7. In the United States, Canada the United Kingdom and many other countries, you can simply dial 988 if you need somebody to talk to.