Roman Bogatov released by UFC after repeated illegal blows in UFC 251 loss to Leonardo Santos

Roman Bogatov’s UFC stint was a short one.

Bogatov (10-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC), the former M-1 Global lightweight champion who signed with the UFC last November, was released by the promotion following his unanimous decision loss to Leonardo Santos at UFC 251 in Abu Dhabi.

MMA Junkie confirmed the news of Bogatov’s release following an initial report from Tass.

Things went south pretty quickly for the formerly unbeaten Russian, who was deducted two points after committing numerous fouls during the bout. After landing two low blows, Bogatov then struck a downed Santos in the head with an illegal knee, prompting referee Marc Goddard to issue the two-point sanction.

Bogatov went on to lose the fight by unanimous decision, 29-26 on all three judges’ scorecards, a fight he would have lost regardless of the point deductions.

Bogatov joins former UFC flyweight title challenger Ray Borg as the second fighter to be released by the UFC in the past week. Both fighters are yet to find a new home.