The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) was back in Anaheim, CA for the seventh time in promotional history last Saturday (July 29, 2017) with UFC 214: Cormier vs. Jones II. It was an entertaining night of action that saw half the bouts end inside the distance, and with the scraps now in our rear view, let’s take a look at which of the evening’s competitors we may no longer see going to work inside the Octagon…
ON THE CHOPPING BLOCK
Kailin Curran
Curran dropped a unanimous decision to Aleksandra Albu in a very entertaining scrap. She is now on a three-fight losing streak inside the Octagon, falling to 1-5 in the UFC. Following the defeat, despite putting up a solid effort and winning the third and final round of the fight, I think there is a good chance that the promotion releases her from her contract, considering I thought she would certainly get released after her previous defeat. Right now, she is in what we call “Jessica Eye territory,” so it would not totally be a shock to see her get a last chance for a third time.
Josh Burkman
Burkman was knocked out in the first round of his bout against Colorado’s Drew Dober. The loss puts him on a four-fight losing streak in the UFC, the last two of which have now come by first-round finish. He retired following his previous loss, which was a first-round, north-south choke submission against Michel Prazeres, leaving his gloves in the Octagon. But he changed his mind and returned for the Dober bout. Whether he retires for good or not, I think it’s fair to say that we have seen the last of Burkman inside the Octagon, and I don’t expect to see the The Ultimate Fighter 2 veteran returning for a third stint with the promotion.
