After a three-fight winning streak in his return to the UFC, Ben Saunders was stopped by Patrick Cote in January.

Losing to a former title challenger to have a streak snapped is not something that normally would send a fighter packing from the UFC. But quietly, Saunders found himself no longer on the promotion’s roster.

Next month, Saunders will get back to work for the first time since his loss to Cote, but it won’t be in the UFC. Instead, Saunders (19-7-2) will fight in Minnesota for Fight Night at the Island against fellow UFC vet Jacob Volkmann (19-6). The event takes place at Treasure Island Resort & Casino in Welch, Minn.

On Tuesday, Saunders posted at The Underground to clear up his exit from the UFC and said the promotion didn’t cut him. Instead, it was an “unfortunate circumstance” and “unfortunate cluster(expletive).”

“I will just be a man and take all the fault. I did not get cut by the UFC,” Saunders posted. “I fought out my contract. I did not hold out looking for more money, in fact I didn’t even ask to hear what the UFC offered my management on the new contract they sent over to them. Truth is, I was going through a really hard time with practically every aspect of my life.”

Saunders said issues with his management, training camp and personal life all affected him during the time he should have been working on his new UFC deal – including the death of his grandparents.

“As stupid as it may sound, I felt lost and alone, which is an awful place to be in general, let alone while trying to compete at the highest level,” Saunders wrote. “I preferred to keep silent and try to just work through everything myself in my own way. It’s been a non-stop roller coaster ride, but one I have voluntarily committed to. So once again this is why I say it is a lot of unfortunate circumstances combined with decisions I made, so I take full responsibility for where I am now.”

By the time he started to get things figured out, Saunders posted, “it was unfortunately too late. UFC had filled my spot on their limited roster, which I completely understood. Once again, they don’t know anything about any of this going on in my life, and I would imagine just considered my silence a form of resignation.”

Saunders said he tried to get on the upcoming UFC 202 card on short notice as a replacement fighter – presumably against Tim Means in a welterweight fight, since Means needed an opponent to replace Sean Strickland. But that spot went to Sabah Homasi.

But Saunders said despite UFC matchmaker Joe Silva being “all about it,” he would have to enter the four-month drug testing pool required by the United States Anti-Doping Agency before coming back to the UFC.

Saunders didn’t mention his fight with Volkmann in his post on The Underground, but did say he believes he’s among the best in the world regardless of where he’s fighting.

Before returning to the UFC nearly two years ago, Saunders went 8-3 outside the promotion after his release in 2010, including a 7-3 run for Bellator. When he came back to the UFC, he picked up a bonus for his omoplata submission of Chris Heatherly at UFC Fight Night 47, then got an injury TKO win over Joe Riggs and a decision over Kenny Robertson before his loss to Cote in January in Boston.

“I don’t know what my future holds, but I do know and believe that when I am focused, and emotionally intact, in shape, and well prepared, I have the tools to beat anyone in the world at my weight class,” he wrote. “I have a very unique and deadly skill set that would give anyone in the top 10 fits with the right preparations.”