Impa Kasanganay is not done with the UFC just yet.
Despite going 2-2 in the octagon, Kasanganay (9-2) was surprisingly let go by the promotion. The 28-year-old has since signed with Eagle FC but hopes to find his way back to the UFC someday.
He takes inspiration from Brandon Moreno, who was once released by the UFC but eventually got re-signed and captured the promotion’s flyweight title in his second stint.
“I think just at the time, maybe logistics,” Kasanganay told MMA Junkie Radio on why the UFC released him. “They said they couldn’t sign me at the time, and for me, I just wanted to keep moving forward and getting better fighting. I’m young in fighting. I haven’t been fighting that long, so I figured that I keep getting better, down the road I can be back in the UFC, pull what Brandon Moreno did, become champ or go on my own path somewhere else.
“So yeah, they said they couldn’t re-sign me at the time, and I didn’t want to sit out a whole year without fighting or waiting for a short notice. I just wanted to stay active and fight and do what I love. But Dana White, Sean Shelby, Mick Maynard, everybody on the staff, they’re really, really awesome there, so nothing bad. Just I guess I didn’t fight how I needed to, too. … I really believe that I could have fought a lot better than I did. I should have been like 3-1, 4-0 in my first go with the UFC, so I think we have to take our own responsibility. I just think I could have done better.”
In his first post-UFC bout, Kasanganay will meet Raimond Magomedaliev at Eagle FC 46 on March 11, which takes place at FLXcast Arena in Miami.
To see the full interview with Kasanganay, check out the video below.
Impa Kasanganay explains UFC release, hopes he ‘can be back and pull what Brandon Moreno did’
