Two flyweights who last competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) will have to look for a new promotion to call home. MMAJunkie.com has confirmed that Ali Bagautinov and Zach Makovsky have completed their run with the UFC and they will not be brought back.
Bagautinov was once on a tear in the 145-pound division. His eight-fight winning streak under the Fight Nights promotion in Russia earned him a UFC contract. “Puncher” secured three straight wins inside the Octagon including a unanimous decision over John Lineker.
Back in June 2014, Bagautinov challenged Demetrious Johnson for the UFC flyweight championship. Bagautinov lost the fight by unanimous decision. He tested positive for EPO and was suspended for a year. “Puncher” went 1-2 since his return with losses to Joseph Benavidez and Kyoji Horiguchi.
Makovsky is a former Bellator bantamweight champion who was signed by the UFC in late 2013. He had a successful debut, defeating Scott Jorgensen. “Fun Size” would go on to beat Josh Sampo before falling short against Jussier Formiga. Makovsky’s last win was against Tim Elliot in Feb. 2015.
After defeating Elliot, Makovsky lost three straight. The defeats came at the hands of John Dodson, Benavidez, and Dustin Ortiz. “Fun Size” ends his UFC run without finishing a fight.
