UFC Releases Three Multi-Year Vets Following Recent ‘Fight Night’ Defeats

Three fighters who suffered losses on recent “Fight Night” cards are no longer on the UFC roster.

Choi Seung-woo, Diana Belbita, and Istela Nunes have parted ways with the promotion, as confirmed recently by Guilherme Cruz of MMA Fighting.

Korea’s Choi is the most experienced fighter of the trio, having competed a total of 11 times on the UFC roster since 2019. He found success in his early years with the promotion as a featherweight, piecing together a three-fight winning streak by late 2021.

However, the 32-year-old has consistently come up short in more recent appearances, having won just one of his past six fights. He last appeared on a mid-March UFC card, where Argentinian prospect Kevin Vallejos stopped him in a little over three minutes.

Belbita joined the UFC roster back in 2019 when she was still 23 years old. The Romanian-Canadian fighter struggled greatly during her eight-fight run with the promotion, winning in just two of her appearances. Belbita lost last weekend against Dione Barbosa, getting caught in an arm triangle choke in the first round.

Nunes signed onto the UFC roster in 2019, but had her debut delayed two years due to a U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) suspension. Her eventual UFC run wasn’t successful, losing all five of her bouts in the promotion. She lost in a short-notice appearance last weekend against Thai striker Loma Lookboonmee via decision.