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Askar Askarov announced via Instagram that he asked for a release from the UFC and they obliged. The Russian fighter, who was ranked No.4 at the time of the announcement, cited medical issues as reasons for his exit from the promotion.
'Bullet' was supposed to face Brandon Royval at UFC Fight Night 212 but the bout was scrapped from the card due to Askarov being unable to make weight. Furthermore, he had issues making weight in his fight against Joseph Benavidez and had to pull out thrice from his scheduled bouts with Alex Perez.
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The post features a pair of UFC gloves, one on top of the other, a symbolism used by fighters whenever they retire. The gesture usually follows a fighter's last bout in the cage, but in this case, the development happened over Instagram. The post by Askarov, translated from Russian, reads:
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"Assalamualaikum, due to my return being delayed due to medical reasons and being my last fight under my contract, I asked UFC to release me. To which, I received a positive response. First, let's put our health in order, and then we will see what and how." [Translated by Google]
Since winning against Alexandre Pantoja, Askar Askarov has faced a series of issues, either due to missing weight on multiple occasions or pulling out of fights due to injuries.
The first time he missed weight, the Russian conceded 20% of his fight purse to Benavidez and the bout was turned into a catchweight fight. The second time around, against Royval, he pulled out a day before the fight, leading to the bout being canceled altogether. The UFC cited 'weight mismanagement' for the bout cancelation.
Askar Askarov's top-tier UFC fights
Askar Askarov proved himself to be a top UFC flyweight as all his fights were against top-15 opponents. Prior to joining the UFC, Askarov had an undefeated MMA record of 11-0. He was the ACB flyweight champion and the 61 kilo gold medalist in freestyle wrestling at the 2017 Summer Deaflympics.
In his UFC debut, he went up against former titleholder and current interim flyweight champion Brandon Moreno in an intense back-and-forth match. He fought Moreno to a draw and secured wins over his next three opponents, including the No.2-ranked Pantoja. Kai Kara-France handed Askar Askarov his first career loss at UFC on ESPN 33.
