Formiga Cut From UFC

The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Flyweight division just got a bit thinner after MMA Fighting revealed that the promotion has decided to part ways with longtime veteran, Jussier Formiga.

The move comes on the heels of Formiga’s three-fight losing streak which came at the hands of Joseph Benavidez, Brandon Moreno and Alex Perez, who he lost to just this past summer at UFC 250 via first round knockout (see it again here).

Making his UFC debut in 2012, Formiga — the former Shooto Flyweight champion — came in with a ton of hype and hopes of one day challenging for the UFC title. Unfortunately for the Brazilian Standout, things never really worked out for him during his time inside the Octagon, going 1-2 in his first three outings which includes a loss in his debut against John Dodson, as well as one against Joseph Benavidez, both knockouts.

After fighting his way to three straight wins, Formiga (35) came up short against Henry Cejudo in 2015, once again ending his chances of getting to the big dance. However, Jussier went on a nice run from February 2018 to March 2019 by winning four straight, setting him up for a No. 1 contender fight against Benavidez. But once again, “Joe Jitsu” knocked him out, smashing his title hopes in the process.

Interestingly enough, Formiga is the only man who holds a win over current division champion, Deiveson Figueiredo, beating him at UFC on ESPN 6 back in early 2019. At the time of his release, Formiga was the No. 7 ranked 125-pound fighter on the UFC roster.