American combat sports analyst Luke Thomas has shared his thoughts after being informed that Russian welterweight fighter Rinat Fakhretdinov and the UFC have parted ways.
The 34-year-old made his UFC debut in 2022 against Andreas Michailidis and won by unanimous decision. He also has wins over the likes of Bryan Battle, Kevin Lee, Nicolas Dalby and Andreas Gustafsson.
Fakhretdinov’s most impressive finishes in the UFC include a Round 1 submission from Kevin Lee and his 54 second TKO by Gustafssonduring Fakhretdinov’s final performance on September 6, 2025.
It was recently reported that Rinat Fakhretdinov was not re-signed after working out his contract. ‘Gladiator’ leaves with a UFC record of 6-0-1. Besides him, two other released fighters are Loik Radzhabov and Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos.
Recently, an Internet user with the username Andy Hickey MMA posted on
“Expect more of this and an overall reduction in the number of Russian fighters on the roster. UFC is a business. Money is what matters. Forget sports or meritocracy. The vast majority of Russian fighters, no matter how elite they appear to be, generate no revenue.”
Luke Thomas supported Andy’s comment and also added:
“This is completely reasonable and correct, by Andy, but we must understand that this is the central way their business operates. Whatever else is told to Congress or the media about the supremacy of merit, the real reality is much more a mix of competing interests.”
Watch comments from Andy Hickey MMA and Luke Thomas below:
Rinat Fakhretdinov says he has not been re-signed by UFC despite being an undefeated promotion
Rinat Fakhretdinov has made his statement after being released by the UFC. The Russian fighter made it clear that his contract had expired and the UFC chose not to renew it. He added that offers are coming in from other promotions:
“No one fired me, the contract expired and for some reasons it was not renewed… The offers are already pouring in, and with very different rewards.”
Watch Rinat Fakhretdinov’s comments below:
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