Former UFC flyweight title challenger Ray Borg has been released by the world’s leading MMA promotion after recently withdrawing from another bout.
Borg has had issues making it into the Octagon throughout his career. At both 125lbs and 135lbs, he has missed weight multiple times throughout his career. Injuries have also caused several of his past bouts to fall through. His son Anthony has also been ill which had led to Borg having to withdraw from several fights to take care of him, as well.
Borg has been on a long leash for years, longer than most fighters in the UFC given some of the personal issues he’s had to deal with. However, it appears the UFC matchmakers were finally fed up with him after withdrawing from a fight against Nate Maness at UFC Vegas 5 on short notice. According to Damon Martin from MMAFighting.com, the latest withdrawal has cost Borg his job as he’s been released from the UFC roster. Borg’s manager Ali Abdelaziz declined to make an immediate comment on the release.
Borg (13-5) won the first six fights of his MMA career before signing with the UFC in 2014. Since then, Borg has been a staple of the UFC flyweight and bantamweight divisions. He has a 7-5 record in the UFC with wins over the likes of Jussier Formiga, Louis Smolka, and Rogerio Bontorin, among others. Six of his career wins have come by submission, and he was one of the most talented grapplers in the lower weight classes.
Ultimately, the UFC matchmakers just couldn’t trust him to make it to the fights anymore. Whether it be weight problems or personal issues, Borg just wasn’t reliable and it was putting the UFC matchmakers into difficult positions in needing to find short-notice replacements for him often. Now that he’s been released by the UFC, it will be interesting to see what promotions will be interested in signing him in free agency.
Where do you think Ray Borg will go next?