Former Invicta FC champion Barb Honchak says she was released by UFC

MMAfighting.com

One of the best women’s flyweight fighters to ever put on the gloves is no longer with the world’s biggest MMA promotion.

Barb Honchak has been released by the UFC, the fighter confirmed Monday night with MMA Fighting after a report by The Body Lock. Honchak, the former Invicta FC women’s 125-pound champion, said the UFC informed her in August, but the news hasn’t been public until now.

Back in July, Honchak fell to Roxanne Modafferi by second-round TKO at the TUF 27 Finale. She had previously dropped a very tight split decision to Lauren Murphy at the TUF 26 Finale in December 2017.

Honchak, 39, did advance to the semifinals of The Ultimate Fighter 26 tournament in 2017, beating Gillian Robertson and Rachael Ostovich to get there. Honchak was beaten in the semis by eventual TUF winner and first UFC women’s flyweight champion Nicco Montaño. Robertson and Ostovich are both still signed to the UFC.

Honchak (10-4) went 9-0 between 2011 and 2014 with victories over the likes of Modafferi, Nina Ansaroff, Leslie Smith, Felice Herrig and others. The former Miletich Fighting Systems product held the Invicta flyweight title in 2013 and 2014, defending it twice before a sabbatical from the sport prior to her re-emerging for TUF 26.

As far as the future, Honchak told MMA Fighting she’s still figuring it out. In the meantime, she said she’s coaching and training at her gym in Washington state.