Was Rafael Alves cut from the UFC? Here's the latest update on 'The Turn's' MMA career

Rafael Alves has parted ways with the UFC after four fights.

Earlier this week, UFC Roster Watch, a robotically-controlled Twitter account, announced that Alves was removed from the UFC roster. The Twitter account doesn't reveal why a fighter parts ways with the promotion. Therefore, it’s unclear if ‘The Turn’ fought out his contract and didn’t re-sign or if he was released.

After building a record of 18-9, Alves earned an opportunity to compete in Dana White’s Contender Series in August 2020. He defeated Alejandro Flores with a second-round submission, punching his ticket to the UFC.

Alves’ UFC tenure didn’t start as planned. ‘The Turn’ was supposed to make his promotional debut against Mike Trizano, who pulled out with an injury. The Brazilian was then matched up against Pat Sabatino before missing weight, leading to the bout being canceled.

Alves made his promotional debut in May 2021, losing to Damir Ismagulov by unanimous decision. Six months later, he earned his first UFC win by taking out Marc Diakiese with a first-round submission. ‘The Turn’ lost his next fight in a thrilling bout against Drew Dober. The 32-year-old last fought in February, losing his third promotional fight against Nurullo Aliev by majority decision.

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Fans react to Rafael Alves parting ways with the UFC

Rafael Alves’ record doesn’t fully tell the story of who he is as a fighter. Through 32 professional fights, Alves has only gone to a decision seven times. Once UFC Roster Watch announced ‘The Turn’ parted ways with the promotion, fans filled the comment section, including some saying:

"Bellator & PFL employ this man please I like to watch homie"

"2 withdraws, 1 weight miss, 12 losses total, 1-3 in his last 4. He’s only 32 so I could see him coming back to the UFC if he can get a couple of wins."

"Damn his fight with dober was a banger…"

"This one is so wrong"

"One of the best fighter to get cut? Losing to two ranked fighters and an undefeated prospect"

Rafael Alves hasn’t made a statement on social media, so it’s unclear what he plans to do next. The 32-year-old has a fan-friendly fighting style and will likely receive several offers for his next step. It’ll be intriguing to see if he can work his way back to the UFC.