UFC: Tatsuya Kawajiri Requests Release from Contract
UFC featherweight Tatsuya Kawajiri has confirmed via Twitter that he has requested his release from the promotion.
Kawajiri, who fought in his native Japan for the majority of his career, has also competed for ONE FC, PRIDE FC, Strikeforce, Dream and Shooto in addition to the UFC.
He expanded on this tweet (seen below) with a post on Facebook here, suggesting that the scoring of his last bout with Cub Swanson, and where that left him in the featherweight picture, played a large role in his decision.
The Japanese fighter’s six-fight stint with the UFC has thus far included bouts with Cub Swanson, Dennis Siver, Dennis Bermudez, and a memorable “Fight of the Night” performance in a defeat to Clay Guida. It’s important to note that just because Kawajiri has requested his release, that does not mean he will be leaving the promotion as the UFC will not necessarily grant that request.
Most recently José Aldo and Frank Mir, former UFC featherweight and heavyweight champions respectively, have made a similar requests that have not yet came to fruition. It’s rare the UFC will simply allow a fighter to leave their contract to possibly bolster the rosters of their competitors.
Kawajiri, at 38-years-old, made no mention of retirement in his tweet. Let’s say Kawajiri is released from his contract, as Chael Sonnen seemingly was prior to signing with Bellator last month, what could be next for the MMA veteran?
Earlier this month South Korea based promotion Road FC announced they would be holding a 32-man lightweight tournament with a $1 million dollar prize for the winner. The promotion even took to twitter to invite José Aldo to take part. There would certainly be worse ways to end one’s career than a $1 million payday.
ONE FC could be another potential option. Kawajiri fought under the ONE FC banner in 2012, and as an Asia based promotion they would be able to offer him more fights closer to home. They also offer the possibility of a rematch with their lightweight champion, Shinya Aoki.
Another possibility could be Bellator. If he were to remain in the featherweight division he’d be entering a weight class that has had the air taken out of it recently following recurring injuries to champion Daniel Straus. A return to lightweight might be a more enticing option with Bellator, where the likes of Michael Chandler, Benson Henderson and former foe Josh Thomson compete.
Runs at WSOF’s featherweight or lightweight titles, currently held by Lance Palmer and Justin Gaethje could appeal to Kawajiri, though I’d find it unlikely he’d request a UFC release for this purpose.
Want your voice heard? Join the Cage Pages team!
We certainly can’t discount the emergence of Japanese promotion RIZIN FC as a potential suitor either- a move which would see Kawajiri reunite with former PRIDE FC promoter Nobuyuki Sakakibara.
Kawajiri holds a career record of 35 wins, 10 losses and 2 draws and has been competing in MMA since April 2000. He holds notable victories over Yves Edwards, Josh Thomson, and Dennis Siver and fought for titles at Shooto, Dream and Strikeforce.
The man is a true MMA veteran and here’s hoping Kawajiri and the UFC can come to an agreement on what’s next for his career, wherever that may be.
More from Cage Pages
This article originally appeared on 
