MMA veteran Jessica Aguilar has revealed the the UFC have opted not renew her contract, meaning the 37-year-old is now a free agent.
”I haven’t received any communications from the UFC,” Aguilar told mmafighting.com. “However my last fight against Marina Rodriguez was the last on my contract. I did receive an e-mail last night from USADA stating that I was being removed from the testing pool which I assume means the UFC has decided not to offer me a new contract. This business tough, but well worth it if you love fighting as much as I do. I have dedicated over 13 years of my life to MMA and consider myself a pioneer of WMMA.”
There were high expectations for Aguilar when she first joined the UFC in 2015.
After all, at the time she held a 19-4 record, was WSOF’s strawweight champion, had also had a successul stint in the Bellator promotion and her CV included victories over the likes of Megumi Fuji (twice), Carla Esparza, Kalindra Faria and Angela Magana (twice).
Things did not go Aguilar’s way in the UFC however, only managing a solitary win over Jodie Esquibel in a five-fight stint that included losses to the likes of Claudia Gadhela, Cortney Casey, Weili Zhang and Marina Rodriguez.
Despite that, Aguilar has indicated that she still intends to keep fighting now that her time in the UFC has come to an end.
“”With this news, I still hope that I can get a chance to make another one of my dreams a reality in getting the opportunity to fight in Mexico. I’ve been blessed to fight at the highest level and for all the largest promotions for so many years. I am grateful for the opportunity the UFC has given me. Thank you to everyone who has shown support, I’m truly grateful. My journey continues and I continue to ‘Smile & Believe.’”
