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UFC Releases Contender Series Winner After Loss In Short-Notice Fight
Brian Mazique Contributor Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own.
Brian Mazique has covered combat sports and video games since 2011.
Following the recent loss in a short-notice fight, the UFC has released its contender series winner, James Llontop. The news broke on Monday that Llontop would be moving to the Fusion FC promotion, marking the end of his UFC tenure.
Llontop earned his place within the UFC by securing a unanimous decision win over Malik Lewis in September 2023 as part of the Contender Series. However, despite this impressive performance, he couldn’t capitalize on it and was released from the organization after failing to adapt to the higher level competition.
As a result, Llontop’s tenure with the UFC has ended prematurely. He will now compete for the Fusion FC.
Before being promoted by the UFC, Llontop had already achieved success in the FFC circuit as its welterweight champion. Given his age of 25, he still has an opportunity to revive his career and potentially make a return to the UFC.
With this recent setback, it’s unclear if Llontop will opt for another run with BKFC, or instead focus on rebuilding his skills and regaining momentum in other promotions like the Professional Fighters League.
Source: www.forbes.com
