Fredy Serrano surprised by UFC release, feels blessed to have represented Colombia

Colombia’s Fredy Serrano is no longer with the UFC.

The flyweight fighter has been released from the promotion following a unanimous decision loss to Hector Sandoval on December at UFC on FOX 22, MMA Fighting recently learned. The loss to Sandoval marked the second straight loss for the Colombian, as Serrano had dropped a close split decision to Ryan Benoit at UFC 201 in July. Prior to the two-loss skid, Serrano had a promising start in the UFC with a knockout win over Bentley Syler, which earned him a Performance of the Night bonus, and a technical knockout victory over Yao Zhikui in South Korea.

‘El Profe’ admits he was a bit surprised by the news and thought he would get another fight in the UFC since his record in the promotion is 2-2, including a close loss to Benoit.

“I knew that with two losses they would start thinking about it, but I really thought they would give me another fight,” Serrano told MMA Fighting. “I had the expectation of doing another fight, but well, those were the decisions, and with two losses in a row, the company sometimes takes those decision.”

The 37-year-old Olympic wrestler will continue fighting, but is unsure where he’ll go next as he’s received offers to fight in Russia and Japan, and he’s also considered fighting in Bogota for his MMA promotion – Colombia vs. The World.

“Well, right now I’m just recovering from a few injuries, but we’ve got a few important offers to fight in Russia or Japan, and I think that would be a beautiful opportunity,” Serrano said. “So we’re looking into those options, and the truth is that I would also explore the opportunity of fighting again in Colombia. I don’t have that many fights here, and there are a lot of people that support me and would love to see me fight here in Colombia, so I’m also thinking about that.”

Serrano leaves the UFC with with a professional MMA record of 3-2. The season one cast member of The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America remains the first Colombian to have a win in the UFC and only the second Colombian fighter to have competed in the promotion. Serrano feels blessed to have to have represented his country on the biggest stage of MMA.

“I feel very blessed in that sense,” Serrano explained. “I was fortunate to be the one to open the doors [for Colombia], and I think the job was done well despite not being in the UFC anymore. I gave it my all and showed potential. I fell a little short, but well, opportunities are meant to be taken and faced and that’s what I did. I’m happy that I had a career in the UFC, although I do feel I had more to give.”