The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) has dropped four lightweight competitors from their roster. Below is the list of fighters who did not make it through the latest round of the promotion’s chopping block… THE CHOPPED Ramsey Nijem Lightweight Nijem was a competitor and finalist on the thirteenth season of The Ultimate Fighter reality series, where he lost to Tony “El Cucuy” Ferguson in the tournament finals. Following the loss, he went on a three fight winning streak, but since then has gone 4-2 and is now 5-5 in the UFC coming off a controversial split decision loss to Andrew Holbrook a couple of months ago. It is surprising to me that Nijem is getting the cut, as many including UFC commentator Joe Rogan felt Nijem had clearly won the fight against Holbrook. Despite that fact, the loss only puts him on a two fight skid, and Nijem is the type of fighter I assumed they would not cut until he lost four in a row, as he has always been a gamer with the promotion and has put on exciting fights whenever inside the Octagon, in victory and defeat. I don’t agree with the UFC’s choice to let him go, and as long as he does not go to Bellator, I think if he strings a couple of wins together on the regional circuit, perhaps Titan FC, Sean Shelby will be ringing his phone. Jorge Oliveira Lightweight After posting an undefeated 8-0 record on the regional circuit in Brazil, with all wins coming by way of finish, Oliveira was signed by the UFC and pitted against Dhiego Lima in his promotional debut. He went 15 minutes with Lima inside the Octagon and had his first taste of defeat, losing the bout via unanimous decision on the judges’ scorecards. His next time out, he took on Christos Giagos and was submitted in the first round of that bout with a rear naked choke. Following the Giagos bout, Oliveira tested positive for having the anobolic steroid stanozolol in is system. He was fined with one-year suspension, and that fact combined with him falling to 0-2 with the promotion, he has been released from his contract and this is a move by the UFC I can fully get behind. Simply put, I don’t believe he is a UFC-caliber athlete and feel confident he won’t find his way back to the Octagon. Elias Silverio Lightweight Silverio went 8-0 on the Brazilian regional circuit before getting the call from the UFC. He made his promotional debut against Joao Zeferino and won the bout via unanimous decision on the judges’ scorecards following three rounds of action. In his next outing inside the Octagon, he took on Jackson-Winklejohn MMA’s Isaac Vallie-Flagg and won that bou via unanimos decision, also. He kept the judges out of it in his next bout, where he took on Ernest Chavez and finished him with a rear naked choke submission in the third and final round of action; with less than a minute remaining in the stanza. Undefeated at 10-0, the Brazilian’s luck ran out there, as he took on Rashid Magomedov in his next outing and was knocked out in the third round, with only three seconds remaining in the fight. He took on Canadian Shane Campbell in his next and latest outing at UFC Fight Night 74 a few weeks ago and in that fight he delivered the worst performance of his UFC career, going on the lose the bout via unanimous decision on the judges’ scorecards. It’s possibly that after being dominated by Magomedov and tasting defeat for the first time, he has simply been broken mentally, and it has begun to reflect in his physical performance. It’s possible he has begun an early decline, but it is also very possible that he just had a bad night, experienced a small bump on the road and will get his head together soon. I feel indifferent about the UFC’s decision to let him go. i would not have been surprised to see him get another fight, and I’m not surprised that they have opted to release him. He might do well outside of the UFC, but I think more than likely he won’t be making his way back to the big show. Nazareno Malegarie Lightweight The Brazilian entererd the fourth season of TUF: Brazil on the heels of a six-fight winning streak and made it to the tournament’s semi-finals, where he lost to Fernando Bruno via unanimous decision on the judges’ scorecards. He was given a shot in the UFC and in his official Octagon debut at UFC 191 last month, he took on fellow cast-mate Joaquin Silva and lost that bout via split decision on the judges’ cards following three rounds of action. As with many TUF fighters, it has been a “one and done” case with Malegarie.
