UFC releases former title challenger Joe Soto

Joe Soto’s UFC career is over.

Four years after unexpectedly getting thrust into a bantamweight title fight, Joe Soto’s days in the UFC have come to an end.

Following an initial report by FloCombat, it was confirmed by MMA Fighting that the UFC has let go of Soto after consecutive losses to Brett Johns and Iuri Alcantara. The 31-year-old departs with a 3-5 record inside the Octagon.

Soto made his UFC debut at UFC 177. Originally scheduled to fight Anthony Birchak, Soto was elevated to main event status when Renan Barao’s disastrous weight cut led to him being pulled from his rematch vs. bantamweight champ T.J. Dillashaw. On a day’s notice, Soto turned in a spirited performance, but was well on his way to a decision loss before he was KO’d in the final round.

A KO defeat vs. Birchak soon followed, as well as a controversial decision vs. Michinori Tanaka. Still, the UFC kept him despite his 0-3 record, and he turned things around by rattling off three straight wins vs. Chris Beal, Marco Beltran, and Rani Yahya. The aforementioned losses to Alcantara and Johns were both by stoppage in a combined 96 seconds, and unfortunately that spelled doom for the former Bellator featherweight champion, who is now a free agent.