Francis Carmont has announced that he’s been released by the UFC following his latest defeat at UFC Fight Night 49 last month.
The 32 year-old suffered a knockout loss to Thales Leites at the event, marking his third loss in a row inside the Octagon after also picking up unanimous decision defeats against CB Dollaway and Ronaldo ‘Jacare’ Souza earlier this year.
It’s a surprising reversal of fortunes for ‘Limitless’ who had arrived in the UFC in 2011 with a significant amount of hype and went on a six fight winning streak in the middleweight division to earn a place in the top 10 rankings.
His early success was perhaps more impressive on paper than in reality with several of his fights going to close decisions and adopted a somewhat cautious style of fighting that failed to capture fan’s imaginations.
Nevertheless, he was still ranked No.15 in the UFC upon his release and it’s likely he’ll attract the interest of other organizations like Bellator and World Series Of Fighting now that he’s a free agent.
Read Carmont’s own statement regarding his release, in which he vows to continue fighting, below.
“I announce that after 6 win and 3 defeat, I am no longer a UFC fighter. However it is with determination that I will continue my career in combat sports. A friend told me, after my loss against Thales, ” You will come to understand it is the best thing that could’ve happen for your career, it’ll make you stronger.” At that moment i did not quiet understand, and after reflecting i came to auto-criticize myself. I come to the conclusion that in sports just like in life, there are many and different stages. By looking for perfection on my technique, i slowly estrange myself from the combat by instinct. Seeking to score points instead of finishing my opponent. My last loss pushes me to grow everyday. Life is a learning path and my career is far from finish. Thank you very much for your constant support.” – Francis Carmont
