Former UFC women’s bantamweight title contender Irene Aldana has been removed from the roster after retiring from MMA.
MMAFighting.com’s Guilherme Cruz first reported the release on Friday of Aldana, who was ranked at No. 12 in the Meta UFC Rankings at the time of her removal from the roster.
Sources later confirmed to Heavy.com that Aldana has retired from MMA.
Irene Aldana Released by UFC After Retirement
Aldana has spent the last 10 years as a staple of the UFC women’s bantamweight division, including fighting former champion Amanda Nunes for the title in the main event of UFC 289 in June 2023.
Overall, Aldana has a 15-8 MMA record, including an 8-6 UFC record. She won three Fight of the Night awards and two Performance of the Night awards during his UFC career, so her removal from the roster is disappointing news since she is one of the most exciting fighters in the UFC women’s bantamweight division.
That being said, Aldana has been inactive in recent years, with her last bout coming against Norma Dumont at UFC 306 in September 2024. Without stepping into the cage in nearly two years, fans started to wonder if she had any plans of competing again.
Either way, Aldana had some fantastic fights over the years in the UFC, including notable knockout victories over Ketlen Vieira and Macy Chiasson. In her MMA career, 11 of her 15 victories have come by knockout or submission.
At age 38 and having taken so much damage in her MMA career, it appears that Aldana has retired after 15 years of professional fighting.
Victor Martinez Cut
In addition to Aldana being removed from the UFC roster, lightweight fighter Victor Martinez has been cut from the promotion’s roster.
Martinez was given a UFC contract after beating Jacob Rosales on Dana White’s Contender Series in September 2021. He fought three times in the UFC, losing to Jordan Leavitt, Tom Nolan, and Rongzhu, where he was knocked out in all three of those fights.
With the UFC about to sign a bunch of new fighters this summer from Dana White’s Contender Series, expect the roster cuts to keep coming for fighters coming off losses.
Former Title Contender Removed Off UFC Roster After Retirement