Departed UFC star Rinat Fakhretdinov speaks out after contract wasn’t renewed

Rinat Fakhretdinov’s UFC exit has left many MMA fans puzzled, and he has addressed his current situation.

Fakhretdinov was 6-0-1 under the UFC banner and he scored a 54-second TKO finish over Andreas Gustafsson in his last outing. While some thought Fakhretdinov put himself in prime position for a bigger name, his UFC deal ultimately wasn’t renewed.

In a new video posted on his Instagram account, Fakhretdinov discussed his UFC departure and revealed that his services are already being sought after by other promotions (via MMAJunkie).

“Yes, the information is reliable, but there is one catch: No one fired us,” Fakhretdinov said on Instagram (h/t ParamPam1990). “Our contract just expired and for certain reasons, it was not renewed. There are small nuances that I will not tell you here. … Nothing terrible happened and the offers are pouring and with a very different pay. As they say, I am basically not in this sport for money.”

Fakhretdinov has no concern about his fighting future after his UFC run came to an abrupt end.

“In no case are we worried. We fought with dignity there,” Fakhretdinov said. “Believe me, we have not said everything there, of course. We would have caused problems to some people there, but apparently this also got in someone’s way.”

Fakhretdinov has not lost a prize fight since his second pro MMA bout back in June 2013. Since then, he has gone 23-0-1. It has been an impressive run for the 34-year-old, although some are already speculating why he’s no longer on the UFC roster. During his time with UFC, Fakhretdinov scored two finishes and went the distance five times. One of his victories was a split decision, while the draw was majority.

At this time, Fakhretdinov hasn’t revealed which promotions have reached out to him. BJPenn.com will keep you posted on Fakhretdinov’s fighting future.