John Dodson released by the UFC

Long-time UFC flyweight and bantamweight contender John Dodson has been officially released by the world’s leading MMA promotion.

MMAFighting.com’s Damon Martin was the first to break the news that Dodson has been released by the UFC. Dodson’s manager Ricky Kottenstette provided a comment.

“We are excited to see what other offers are out there for John. John is 100 percent committed to his fight career and he’s not diminished in his skill set whatsoever,” Kottenstette said.

“John has fought the absolute best in the world in two weight classes and he’s still more than ready face elite competition. We look forward to talking to any and all promotions to find John the best home for his future.”

Dodson (21-12) has been a member of the UFC roster since 2011 when he won the 14th season of TUF with a first-round TKO win over TJ Dillashaw. Dodson then picked up wins over Tim Elliott and Jussier Formiga before taking on Demetrious Johnson for the flyweight title in 2013, dropping a competitive decision. Dodson then won three more fights to score a rematch with Johnson but once again he lost a decision.

Following his second loss to Johnson, Dodson moved up to bantamweight in 2016. He has since racked up a 4-5 record at 135lbs with wins over Nathaniel Wood, Pedro Munhoz, Eddie Wineland, and Manny Gamburyan, but with decision losses to Merab Dvalishvili, Petr Yan, Jimmie Rivera, Marlon Moraes, and John Lineker.

Dodson is now 35 years old and he is not as fast and as explosive as he was when he first entered the UFC eight years ago. Still, he was a top-15 bantamweight in the UFC and could even return to flyweight. He’s also a notable name and an experienced fighter who plenty of other promotions would love to add to their rosters. Look for Bellator to make a run at Dodson to join its growing bantamweight division, while Dodson could even look at potentially fighting in Asia for ONE or RIZIN.

Where do you think John Dodson will fight next?