"It's hurting" - Newly-released women's fighter says the UFC's decision to not invest in the featherweight division caused them to go "separate ways"
The UFC recently conducted a large-scale fighter release, resulting in the departure of over 15 athletes from the promotion across several weight classes.
L’UFC s’est séparé de 14 athlètes depuis hier soir ! 😳
[@UFCRosterWatch] https://t.co/Fs1JUvWGLU
Bea Malecki, a former women's bantamweight contender, is among those who have been released from the promotion.
Fighter removed: Bea Malecki❌ Fighter removed: Bea Malecki
In response to her release, Malecki expressed her thoughts on the UFC's decision to not prioritize investment in the women's featherweight division.
According to 'Bad News Barbie,' this particular choice by the organization ultimately led to a parting of ways between her and the promotion.
Malecki wrote on Instagram:
"I made a decision to focus on competing at 145 lbs which is a division the UFC is not investing in. I truly can not perform at a high level with these weight losses in 135 [lbs]. "
Bea Malecki's statement suggests that the lack of support for the featherweight division influenced her career trajectory and contributed to her departure from the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
Following Amanda Nunes' successful title defense against Megan Anderson in 2021, the institution made the decision to prioritize other divisions over the women's featherweight category. Notably, the promotion even removed the women's featherweight division from the homepage, with the exception of the reigning champion, Nunes. One plausible explanation for this course of action is the perceived lack of depth in the talent pool within the women's 145lbs division.
UFC 289 weigh-ins result
Main Card
Amanda Nunes (135 lbs) vs Irene Aldana (135 lbs): Women's bantamweight title bout
Charles Oliveira (154 lbs) vs Beneil Dariush (156 lbs): lightweight bout
Mike Malott (169.5 lbs) vs Adam Fugitt (170.75 lbs): welterweight bout
Dan Ige (145.5 lbs) vs Nate Landwehr (145.25 lbs): featherweight bout
Marc-Andre Barriault (185 lbs) vs Eryk Anders (184.75 lbs): middleweight bout
Preliminary Card
Nassourdine Imavov (185.5 lbs) vs Chris Curtis (185.25 lbs): middleweight bout
Miranda Maverick (125.5 lbs) vs Jasmine Jasudavicius (125.25 lbs): Women's flyweight bout
Aiemann Zahabi (135.75 lbs) vs Aoriqileng (135 lbs): bantamweight bout
Kyle Nelson (145 lbs) vs Blake Bilder (145.5 lbs): featherweight bout
David Dvorak (125.5 lbs) vs Steve Erceg (125.5 lbs); flyweight bout
Diana Belbita (114.5 lbs) vs Maria Oliveira (115.5 lbs): strawweight bout
**As a backup for the main event, Raquel Pennington weighed in at 134.5 pounds.