Former UFC lightweight fighter Ismael Bonfim shared his reaction after finding out he had been cut by the promotion.
On Monday, news came out that Bonfim had been cut by the UFC after suffering his fourth straight stoppage loss, a first-round TKO defeat to Francisco Prado at UFC Vegas 122. To make matters worse, Bonfim missed weight for the fight by 7.5 lbs, a massive weight miss that was his third time missing weight during his UFC career.
Ismael Bonfim Reacts to UFC Release
Taking to his social media, Bonfim posted a video statement sharing his reaction to being cut by the UFC.
“Hey everyone. So, stopping by to chat a little with you. A lot of people are messaging me, and I can’t respond because there are so many messages. I didn’t even imagine it and I want to tell you all that I am well. I’m well, thank God… I want to say that we’re not going to stop. We will keep going. Yeah, it’s not the end and there’s a lot of stuff to still happen,” Bonfim said on his Instagram (via Bloody Elbow).
“I’d like to thank UFC here. It was five years of a lot of learning and the UFC changed my life. I can only be grateful, man. I’m feeling a great deal of gratitude and I’m okay. Let’s stop with this feeling of a wake, nobody died. Nobody died, that’s rebuked, get out of here with bad energy. Let’s go for it. Tomorrow, I’m back in training.”
Where Will Ismael Bonfim Wind Up Next?
While Bonfim’s UFC career is over following a 2-4 run inside the Octagon, he’s still only 30 years old, so it’s unlikely that he will be retiring despite a very tough run as of late.
For his next fight, Bonfim could potentially look to head back to his native Brazil to fight on a local show, consider moving over to Europe to fight for one of the many promotions there, or even consider a move to MVP MMA/PFL.
But another fight inside the Octagon seems to be out of the cards for him.
Ismael Bonfim Reacts to Being Cut by the UFC