Former UFC title challenger Irene Aldana is no longer on the UFC roster.

On Friday, MMA Fighting reported that the 38-year-old Aldana was no longer eligible for a UFC ranking, removing her from her previous position in the Top 15. Given her ranking and layoff, the news of her release was met with surprise and confusion. Shortly afterward, ESPN Deportes confirmed that Aldana has retired from competition in order to focus on her health.

In her final UFC appearance at Noche UFC 2024, Aldana suffered a unanimous decision loss to Norma Dumont that cost her position in the women’s Bantamweight Top Five. In the process, she suffered one of the nastiest cuts in UFC history (see it here). Since then, the injury has required multiple surgeries and remains a factor in her decision to retire.

Gruesome.

Aldana (15-8 overall, 8-5 UFC) accomplished quite a bit in her decade on the roster. Her pinnacle was unquestionable fighting for UFC gold opposite Amanda Nunes, even if she came up short … like just about everyone else who faced a prime “Lioness.” Outside of challenging for the belt, Aldana picked up some incredible knockouts, like her ridiculous left hook KO of Ketlen Vieira or that wonky upkick to the body stoppage of Macy Chiasson.