According to former UFC flyweight Justin Scoggins, he was slated to fight this Saturday on short notice against Mark De La Rosa at UFC Denver. The match-up was slated to take place in the bantamweight division. De La Rosa was initially set to face Jordan Espinosa before an injury forced the Contender Series winner off the card.

https://twitter.com/combatcobain/status/1060543685367095296

y’all call and I accept a fight on less than a weeks notice at Bantamweight…then I don’t hear shit back until my manager informs me that myself and the rest of the Flyweight division are cut? @ufc 🤷🏼‍♂️ #mma

When asked why De La Rosa was matched up with Joby Sanchez instead, Scoggins wasn’t given a reason.

https://twitter.com/combatcobain/status/1060545672351490050

I never got an answer. Got a call to fight Delarosa at 135 and immediately told them I’d do it…next thing I hear is that I am a free agent.

Scoggins (11-5) instead found himself released from the promotion with a 4-5 record. The South Carolina native is another victim of the recent purge which will see the UFC remove their entire flyweight division at the end of this year. “Tank” made a memorable UFC debut in Dec. 2013 where he finished crowd favorite Richie Vaculik at UFC Fight Night 33.

Perhaps the 26-year-old will best be remembered for being one of only three fighters to defeat former title challenger Ray Borg. Scoggins defeated him by unanimous decision at UFC Fight Night 82 in Feb. 2016. Scoggins also picked up wins over Will Campuzano and Josh Sampo during his UFC tenure.

It will be the first time since June 2013 that Scoggins will compete outside the Octagon as he was one of the early signings when the UFC formed the flyweight division in 2011.

Scoggins joins his teammate Jarred Brooks, along with other flyweights Jose “Shorty” Torres and Roberto Sanchez who were also released from the UFC this week.

 

This article first appeared on BJPenn.com on 11/9/2018