UFC on FOX 13 was live from Phoenix last night (Dec. 13, 2013) and produced a night of entertaining bouts, and with the show now behind us, let’s take a look at which of the evening’s fighters we may no longer see compete inside the Octagon… ON THE CHOPPING BLOCK: Garett Whiteley Whiteley made his UFC debut as an undefeated fighter with a professional mixed martial arts record of seven wins and no defeats. He did so on enemy territory in Brazil, taking on fellow promotional newcomer and undefeated lightweight prospect, Brazil’s own Alan Patrick. Whiteley ended up tasting defeat for the first time, as he suffered a TKO in the first round of action in that fight. His next outing came three months later against TUF: Live veteran Vinc Pichel, and he dropped that bout via unanimous decision on the judges’ scorecards after three rounds of action with Pichel being the dominant party throughout the 15 minute affair. After some time away from the cage, he returned at last night’s UFC on FOX 13 in Phoenix, where he took on David Michaud and lost the bout via unanimous decision, giving him his third straight loss and making him 0-3 inside the Octagon. After dropping three straight, I expect Whiteley to be receiving his walking papers from the promotion. Jamie Varner He is not technically “on the chopping block” because he took it upon himself to call it quits after his first round rear naked choke submission loss to Drew Dober at last night’s UFC on FOX 13 in his backyard of Phoenix, AZ. Leaving his fight gloves inside the Octagon, Varner said this was something he had planned on doing long before stepping into the cage yester eve. It would have been nice to see him go out on a win, but the loss made him 1-4 in his last five bouts, so if he didn’t decide to retire, I think it is safe to assume that his time in the Octagon was just about over, anyway. The regional circuit is not somewhere the veteran feels he belongs, especially after making it to the big show and finding a home there. Two UFC victories under his belt, plus “Upset of the Year” winner for his knockout of Edson Barboza in his promotional debut, and “Fight of the Year” winner for his war with Joe Lauzon, Varner has certainly left an impression on both fight fans and the sport.
