When PRIDE legend Takanori Gomi arrived in the UFC back in 2010, he was viewed as a legitimate threat to then champion BJ Penn, and to all of the lightweights on the UFC roster. Unfortunately, the Japanese MMA icon’s UFC career has been a significant disappointment.<\/p>\n
Barring a few impressive moments, like a 2010 KO of Tyson Griffin, and a 2014 war with Isaac Vallie-Flagg, Gomi has looked quite unspectacular in the Octagon. Most recently, he’s endured a brutal stretch of losses, having been stopped by Myles Jury, Joe Lauzon, Jim Miller, Jon Tuck and “Maestro” Dong Hyun Kim in his last five bouts.<\/p>\n
From the looks of it, this rough skid has led the UFC to release Gomi from his contract. Gomi suggested this move in a Monday morning post to Instagram, but also eluded to a return to the Japanese MMA ring this New Years Eve \u2013 perhaps at Rizin Fighting Federation<\/a>‘s End of Year show, or at Inoki Genome Federation’s New Years Eve event.<\/p>\n\n