Russian debutant Roman Bogatov made a disastrous first impression on his octagon debut at “UFC Fight Island” last month, and his actions during his defeat have led to him being released after just one fight.
Lightweight fighter Bogatov made his debut in Abu Dhabi against Brazil’s Leonardo Santos, and lost out via unanimous decision after a controversial fight that saw the Russian land THREE illegal knees during the contest.
Bogatov connected twice with knees to Santos’ groin during their three-round lightweight fight on Yas Island. Then, when he connected with a clearly-illegal third knee, this time to the head of the downed Santos, referee Marc Goddard penalized the debutant with a two-point deduction.
Roman Bogatov's contract with the UFC has been terminated after one fight in which he hit his opponent with 3 or 4 illegal strikes.
As it turned out, Bogatov would have lost on the scorecards, with or without the sanction as Santos claimed the unanimous decision victory. But Bogatov would go on to lose more than just his debut and his undefeated record as he revealed on Saturday that he had been released by the UFC following his actions during the fight.
“Yes, they told me today they had terminated the contract,” Bogatov told TASS, while the fighter’s manager, Sayat Abdrakhmanov, confirmed that the fighter’s contract was terminated as a result of the low blows used by Botagov during his fight with Santos.
It remains to be seen where Bogatov will fight next, but the former M-1 Global lightweight champion will likely have little problem finding a promotion, despite his nightmare stay on “Fight Island.”
