Now no longer on the UFC roster, Oluwale Bamgbose felt the need to vent about his former home. So he did.
Bamgbose announced in a series of tweets Tuesday that following a second-round knockout loss at UFC on FOX 26 in Winnipeg earlier this month, he was released from the promotion. The defeat to Alessio Di Chirico extended his current skid to three in a row and put him at 1-4 in the Octagon overall.
Bamgbose said that fighters are mistreated in the UFC, and that that contributed to his gradual disinterest towards competing in MMA. “The Holy War Angel” has fought since 2012, and at this point, he is not worried about getting back to the UFC one day, so he feels no reason not to express his true thoughts.
Bamgbose said his disinterest in the sport he once loved contributed to his poor performance two weeks ago. Against Di Chirico, Bamgbose was very defensive and landed few strikes. He said he no longer has the fire needed to go far in MMA, and that if he decides to fight again, it will only be once or twice to “end my career on a positive note.” He also added that he was injured going into the fight, but did not pull out in case the UFC decided to cut him due to his injury.
For Bamgbose, fighting regularly just is not worth it anymore. He competed on the highest level — in the UFC — for over two years, but it did not pay off. He didn’t make large paychecks he initially expected would come his way. He said that throughout his UFC career, he didn’t reach his full potential because he was worried about “basic” needs.
Unlike some fighters, Bamgbose always had a backup plan if MMA didn’t work out, and that is an education. Per his UFC.com profile, Bamgbose has an “Associate’s degree in Liberal Arts from Morrisville State College, a Bachelor’s degree in Child and Family Studies from SUNY Oneonta, and a Masters degree in Public Administration from Alfred University.” It seems likely that he will put at least one of his degrees to good use in the future.
As far as his immediate future in MMA goes, Bamgbose already has one fight in mind, and that’s a bout against longtime referee Herb Dean, who has competed a few times himself. Bamgbose said Dean is the worst referee in MMA and also challenged him to a scrap. It isn’t clear whether Dean has plans to return to MMA competition, but at this time, it seems unlikely.