Francis Carmont bursted onto the UFC scene in late 2011 with a lot of hype behind the 185 pound behemoth. The training partner of Georges St-Pierre, Carmont was billed as an elite striker with grappling credentials that could match anyone the UFC had to offer.
Two years later, Carmont was 6-0 in the UFC and seemingly one or two wins away from an unheralded UFC title shot. The one qualm with Carmont over his six fight winning streak however, was the fact that he was seemingly gifted more than one decision and was far from impressive against mediocre competition.
Carmont was then slated to face off against Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza, and in his first test against elite competition, Carmont was utterly dominated en route to a decision loss. Carmont winded up losing his next two bouts as well, including a hellacious knockout at the hands of former title contender Thales Leites.
Today, Carmont announced on Facebook that he has been released by the UFC, but plans to continue fighting in MMA:
I announce that after 6 win and 3 defeat, I am no longer a UFC fighter. However it is with determination that I will continue my career in combat sports. A friend told me, after my loss against Thales, ” You will come to understand it is the best thing that could’ve happen for your career, it’ll make you stronger.” At that moment i did not quiet understand, and after reflecting i came to auto-criticize myself. I come to the conclusion that in sports just like in life, there are many and different stages. By looking for perfection on my technique, i slowly estrange myself from the combat by instinct. Seeking to score points instead of finishing my opponent. My last loss pushes me to grow everyday. Life is a learning path and my career is far from finish. Thank you very much for your constant support.
Carmont could possibly head to Bellator or WSOF in an attempt to make it back to the UFC, but he will need to prove he is worthy of his former roster spot.
