Modestas Bukauskas is no longer a UFC fighter after the promotion released him from contract.
Bukauskas’ release comes after three consecutive octagon losses, including his most recent one in which he suffered a grisly knee injury that forced him to undergo corrective surgery this past month. The Cage Warriors veteran told MyMMANews.com that he planned to return to training in four to five months after taking an oblique kick from Khalil Rountree in the fight at UFC Vegas 36. He also underwent a procedure to make it easier to breathe due to damage to his nose suffered in the fight.
“Obviously it’s extremely painful because they had to do quite a lot of stuff in there,” he said of the knee surgery. “But the main thing is that it went extremely successful. Everything went to plan and I’m on the full road to recovery. I knew it was gonna be a quite painful operation because it’s the most I’ve had done, but hey, I’ll be back firing on all cylinders whenever I come back.”
“I definitely feel I’m UFC caliber and I’m ready to go on and put on a show,” he added later. “I’ve learned my lessons and I’ve learned the things I need to correct.”
Bukauskas was on a seven-fight winning streak when he arrived in the octagon at UFC Fight Island 6. Coached by his father, he took on Jimmy Crute and was stopped in the first round. His second outing, against Michal Oleksiejczuk at UFC 260, ended in a split decision loss. But his appearance against Rountree ended in disaster.
Bukauskas now reenters the open market with a 11-5 pro record. He won the Cage Warriors light heavyweight title in 2019 and defended it once before signing with the UFC.