Joey Beltran has been released by the UFC.

The release was notified to Fighters Only directly by Beltran himself. While sad to see his current tenure on the roster come to an end, he says he understands the decision to cut him following his loss to debutant Lavar Johnson on Saturday night.

“I am truly grateful for all the opportunities that I have received from the UFC/Zuffa. I am not sad or hurt by their decision as I know that winning is the name of the game,” he told us.

“Posting a 1-4 record my last 5 fights is unacceptable regardless of how entertaining the fights were. So this is the next chapter of my career, and one that I am excited for. You will definitely see my ugly face again so fans don't worry and haters keep on hating.”

Beltran does not know what his next move will be but he has apparently already had some interest from other promotions which value his fighting style and his tendency to get involved in wars.

Often, fighters can return to the UFC roster with some wins outside the promotion and so if Beltran can string some victories together elsewhere he could well earn himself a return to the big show at some point down the line.