Davi Ramos on Request for UFC Release: ‘I Need to Fight. I Need to Pay My Bills’

After nearly two years on the shelf, Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight competitor Davi Ramos has had enough of the waiting game. In a series of conversations with Sherdog, Ramos explained why he requested his release from the UFC. He affirmed that he holds no particular ill will towards the promotion that has held his contract since 2017, but needs to move on with his professional fight career in order to provide for himself and his family.

On March 3, the 2015 Mundials gold medalist expressed his frustration with the UFC’s failure to schedule any fights for him since his July 2020 loss to Arman Tsarukyan. “I asked to be released by the UFC since I haven’t fought for almost two years. I wish to say this in the nicest way possible. All this time [since 2020] I've been doing anti-doping tests. I've completed 25 clean tests and they still wouldn't book me a fight. I fought the best guys in the division and I don't understand why they haven’t brought me back. During this time, my contract expired, they kept me on the UFC roster and in the USADA testing pool, but they still wouldn't get me a fight. I decided to leave and I already talked to my managers about that. After the last bout on my contract [against Tsarukyan], they kept me listed on their site, and I kept doing the USADA tests. I was expecting to get a new contract, and to be able to renegotiate. Now, I decided this can’t go on any longer. I need to fight. I need to work. I’ve never picked my opponents. I’ve always faced the best fighters. I don’t quite understand why this happened. I kept training and asking for a fight. I even came to the United States.”

Ramos is aware that he is far from the only fighter to be kept waiting a year or more for a fight, sometimes for what appear to be geographic concerns. “It happens a lot. We kept waiting for the pandemic to die down, so a new card could take place in Brazil. But I came to the United States and hung around for three months. I don’t quite understand it. Sincerely, I’m one of the best fighters in the weight class, and I’m not sure why this happened. It bothers me. In the end, I had to make a decision.”

However, he feels that practice should not apply to him, considering that his only losses at lightweight have come against top-level contenders in Tsarukyan and Islam Makhachev. “Tsarukyan is smashing everyone in the UFC. Makhachev has also been finishing his opponents. Against me, they did win the decision, no doubt. But they ran from me. They didn’t want to fight. The results against me were completely different. So, it is possible to compare my skills against the level of their opponents.”

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A few days later on March 8, Ramos indicated his belief that he was about to be granted the requested release and expressed his excitement about the prospect of getting back into action. He was also adamant in maintaining that the failure to book a fight in the UFC in timely fashion was not his fault, as he had been healthy, capable of making weight and free of visa issues throughout his hiatus.

“I’m getting ready to sign up with another promotion, as soon as I receive the release letter from the UFC,” Ramos said. “It’s strange what’s been happening. I’ve been asking for a fight for a very long time. I don’t understand why I haven’t heard from them. I even offered to fight at a weight class above, or a weight class below. I would gladly fight anywhere. I did not get injured. I’ve stayed on weight. For some time, I came to the United States. I was there for close to three months. I was staying ready in case a slot opened up. I let them know I was ready. I shed weight. And I still don’t know why they didn’t find me a fight. “It’s a difficult situation,” he continued. “Fighters only get paid when they fight. I don’t have a sponsor to pay my bills. I live from fighting, and from the money I save after fighting. I’m coming up on two years without a fight. I reached the limit. I’ve been asking for a long time. I’m patient. I love the UFC. I see myself coming back and working my way up to a belt. I see myself as one of the best fighters in the weight class, especially considering how things played out against my last two opponents. They’re among the best in the weight class, along with Rafael Fiziev. As far as the other top lightweights they’ve fought, I see myself as better than them. Tsarukyan and Makhachev faced me with fear, and found a way to win by points. They didn’t fight to beat me. They fought to win by decision. On my last contract, I had two wins [against John Gunther and Austin Hubbard] and those two losses. What I’m left with is this feeling of sorrow. I asked for a fight. I tried my hardest. I spent money out of my own pocket. I came to the United States to do a training camp – something I’m not used to. I worked with Roan Carneiro and jiu-jitsu master Bruno Frazatto. I trained with a bunch of folks at American Top Team, so I could pick up new skills. I made myself available to the UFC. I went to the UFC Performance Institute and did all my exams. I did all I could do. It was all out of my own pocket. I didn’t ask anyone to help me. Things didn’t work out. That’s why I had to make a decision. Somehow, I’m still on the UFC roster. I asked my lawyers to help me get removed. I’ve been talking to Absolute Championship Akhmat organization [in Russia] to see If I can enter their tournament. I have to work. I have a family. We depend on this. I’m a fighter. I still have a lot of work to do. ACA and Professional Fighters League are organizations who’d like me to join up, and who may compensate me properly. If I face anyone in the UFC lightweight top 10, they could beat me, but I strongly feel that I would beat any of them. That’s how I see it.”

Despite his palpable frustration with his professional situation over the past two years, Ramos maintained his affection for the UFC, where he has conducted the majority of his professional bouts, and did not close the door on a possible return. “I don’t want to negatively affect the UFC in any way. My goal is to go to other promotions, pick up some wins, and come back so I can be champion. That’s my goal. I don’t wish to speak ill of the UFC. But I also want to share my frustration. I’m bothered by all this. I need to fight. I need to pay my bills. I have two children. My financial situation has been challenging. I needed an answer from the UFC but I didn’t get one. So, I asked to leave. But I’m still on their roster and on the USADA pool. I did everything I was told to do. All my tests came back clean. I’m always training, no matter where I am. I fully dedicated to be champion one day. Maybe this wasn’t the time, but I’ll keep working at it.”

Ramos was also aware of the possible complications involved with signing with ACA — an organization named for Chechen warlord Akhmat Kadyrov and closely associated with his son, Chechen president Ramzan Kadyrov — in light of the current Russian invasion of Ukraine. “I’ve been thinking about it before I decide to sign on the dotted line. I need to fight. I need to stay active. I’m 35 years old. I’m not a 25 year-old kid. I feel the UFC is making a mistake. I’m in my prime – striking, wrestling, and jiu-jitsu. I’m a complete fighter. And to know that they haven’t seen the need for me, it left me very distressed.”

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As of March 14, nearly two weeks after his initial conversation with Sherdog, Ramos remains in professional limbo, still awaiting his official release from the UFC. He acknowledges that the situation has drawn attention, but remains frustrated that the attention has not yet resulted in any concrete action. Nonetheless, he is going forward with the tentative goal of participating in ACA’s upcoming lightweight grand prix.

“After the news come out that I requested my release from the UFC, I was bombarded with messages,” Ramos said. “Everyone wanted to know why I’d want to leave. I still haven’t received my release letter from the UFC. My manager is looking into it. The ACA promotion is already counting on my inclusion. I haven’t signed their contract yet. But I’ll probably participate in their grand prix tournament.” When asked if there was a particular deadline that needed to be met after the Tsarukyan fight for Ramos to receive a new contract offer or booking, he shared more of his confusion and frustration with the process that unfolded. “This is what happened – after that fight, we asked to renegotiate my contract. Sean Shelby said that they couldn’t issue a new contract at that very moment. He asked me to wait, since they had to work on cutting several other fighters. But they were interested in hanging on to me. He kept me on the UFC roster and on the USADA list, so I’d keep undergoing anti-doping testing. That way, a contract renewal would be easier. I was at their mercy. I wanted to stay in the ‘champions league.’ I wasn’t considering going to the minors. So, I kept waiting for the chance to renew. Time kept going by. The renewal never happened. I kept talking to my managers. They pitched several bouts to Sean Shelby. None of them were booked with me. Apparently, there were prior commitments. They kept me on the list, so I could be brought in at any moment. “Why wasn’t I brought back,” he continued, “especially considering how so many other people were getting rebooked? The reason wasn’t clear. I told my managers that my goal within the UFC was to eventually become their champion. That’s always been my mindset in anything I did. I am a multiple-time jiu-jitsu world champion. After winning in jiu-jitsu, my prize was usually just a medal. So, I didn’t join the UFC just to make money. This period has been stressful to me. I had another child. That was worrisome. I decided I couldn’t wait anymore for something that may or may not happen. I didn’t have a contract since I last fought. “The UFC simply didn’t renew me.” he added. “I didn’t know why. My manager Jorge ‘Joinha’ Guimaraes talked to Sean Shelby. He talked to Mick [Maynard]. He talked to Dana White. All of them signaled that they had no wish to cut me. But they never gave me fights. Then it was decided that if I came to the United States, it would be easier to get a fight. The idea was to change my status and get me a work visa. I boarded plane with this plan in mind. I left my own academy. I left my comfort zone. I was very well received by coach Roan Carneiro [Jucao]. It wasn’t the type of training I was used to. But he’s super experienced in the fight world and he was a big help. I trained with tons of fighters. I stayed in Atlanta awaiting an opportunity. I stayed there close to two months and three weeks. I made myself available to fight at various weight classes. If someone dropped out of a card, I’d raise my hand and offer to replace them at 155, 170 or even 185 pounds. I’ll face anyone at any weight. I’ve never picked my opponents. It bothers me that I never had any problems in the organization. I fought the toughest fighters at lightweight. I’ve always showed up for interviews, filled out all necessary papers, always made weight, never been knocked out, and never been submitted. It bothers me that this happened. I talked to my managers. I don’t fight for money. Money is a consequence of my work. I fight for my dream. My dream is to be world champion. I’m looking forward to joining the ACA grand prix tournament. I hope it all works out for the best, and I’m able to return to the UFC. But if they don’t bring me back, unfortunately I’ll have to get on with life outside the UFC.”