The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) has dropped 11 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 Alan Omer Featherweight The Germany-based Iraqi made his promotional debut in April of 2014 against Jim Alers and lost a split decision following three very close rounds of action. His next Octagon outing saw him take on undefeated promotional newcomer Arnold Allen, and he appeared to be cruising to a unanimous decision victory on the judges’ scorecards until getting caught with a guillotine choke in the third and final round of action. The loss made Omer 0-2 in the UFC with two sour defeats, and unfortunately for the 27-year old, he won’t be getting a third crack at a first UFC win. I do not agree with this decision by the UFC at all. I think it is a bad business move to release a solid prospect like Omer after two fights he could have easily won. He is a good fighter to keep around for European cards, if nothing else. I think this was a bad move by the UFC. A lot of fighters who are less deserving of a third chance often get it, so it came as a surprise that Omer did not. I think he showed real potential and could have perhaps gone on to be a Top 15 featherweight in the UFC in a couple of years time. Vaughan Lee Flyweight Lee went 3-5 inside the Octagon and was released from the promotion following a two-fight skid. I cannot fault this move by the UFC, as Lee did not look like he belongs when he last stepped into the Octagon against Paddy Holohan in his 125-pound debut, losing the bout via unanimous decision on the judges’ scorecards. The Brit has been quick to move along following his UFC release, going on to lose another unanimous decision (against Rakhman Rudaev) on the Russian regional circuit just a few days ago. I believe it is safe to assume he won’t be working his way back to the big show. Hugo Viana Bantamweight “Wolverine” went 3-3 in the UFC and was 1-3 in his last four outings, so the promotion has opted to part ways with the TUF: Brazil season one veteran. This is a move by the UFC I agree with, because Viana, once a promising prospect, appeared to be on a decline, and his one-sided unanimous decision loss to Guido Cannetti means that could be the case. He has since signed with RFA and will be making his promotional debut on the main card of RFA 34 on January 15th against Zac Riley. Fabio Maldonado Light Heavyweight The Brazilian is on a two fight skid and is 1-3 in his last four outings, so the UFC has decided to send him his pink slip. This one came as a bit of a surprise, but only because I figured Maldonado was the type of fighter who would need four straight losses to get cut. He is a fan favorite in Brazil and the UFC has loved using him on Brazilian cards. I figured they would continue doing so, but apparently not. I would not be surprised to see the UFC bring him back for a short notice bout, but chances are we’ve seen the last of the 35-year old inside the Octagon. Bubba Bush Middleweight The former Legacy FC middleweight champion made his promotional debut against Kevin Casey and was knocked out early in the very first round of action. Due to Casey testing positive in his post-fight drug test, the result of the bout was turned to a No Contest. Bush next took on South Africa’s Garreth McLellan and was knocked out in the third round of that bout. After two poor performances in the UFC, it makes sense that the promotion has decided to cut him from their 185-pound roster. I thought Bush had a lot of promise when I was watching him compete under the Legacy FC banner but his UFC tenure has shown that he does not belong. I think if he had moved training camps to a world class MMA gym, he would have stood a good chance, but we will never know. Edimilson ‘Kevin’ Souza Featherweight Souza is coming off a second round rear naked choke submission loss to Chas Skelly has been removed from the UFC’s 145-pound roster after a 3-1 run inside the Octagon. This is a move by the UFC that makes zero sense to me, considering Souza looked great in every fight, including his loss, which appeared to be a one-sided fight in his favor until the bitter end. The story right now is that he completed the last fight on his contract and the UFC has opted to not re-sign him. Bad move by the UFC, in my opinion, as I am a fan of Souza’s and have enjoyed his performances in the UFC. I hope this is not the last we have seen of him inside the Octagon. Chico Camus Flyweight Camus is another fighter who has been released following a two fight skid and being 1-3 in his last four. Despite that fact, this cut still came as a surprise, considering his losses have come to Henry Cejudo and Kyoji Horiguchi, arguably the two best flyweights who are not currently holding the title. In fact, he looked great in his latest outing against Cejudo and won over many fans with his performance. Fight fans were looking forward to seeing him back inside the Octagon, but it looks like he will need to string together a few wins on the regional circuit first. Ericka Almeida Women’s Strawweight The Brazilian has received her pink slip from the from the UFC after going 0-2 in the promotion with unanimous decision losses to Juliana Lima and Aisling Daly, respectively. I thought she would get another fight, especially considering how razor thin the UFC’s women’s strawweight division is. Jumabieke Tuerxun Featherweight Tuerxun has been released from the UFC after going 0-3 inside the Octagon. He has been unimpressive and it makes perfect sense that the promotion is parting ways with him following three consecutive losses. Mickael Lebout Lightweight The French fighter made his promotional debut on short notice in the welterweight division taking on Sergio Moraes and losing the bout via unanimous decision on the judges’ scorecards, although putting up a good fight. His next outing saw him take on Teemu Packalen and he defeated him via unanimous decision. His next and latest Octagon outing came against Stevie Ray and he lost that bout via unanimous decision. After going 1-2, the UFC has decided to send him packing. This is a decision I do not agree with, considering he was not on a losing streak and one of his losses was a short notice debut a division above. I think the UFC should have kept him around; to use on a future European card, if nothing else. Vernon Ramos Welterweight Ramos made his Octagon debut at UFC Fight Night 78 just over a month ago against fellow promotional newcomer Alvaro Herrera and was knocked out at just half a minute into the very first round of action. It was apparently a “one and done” deal for the Panamanian fighter, who had his first taste of professional mixed martial arts defeat and will now likely be returning to Panama’s regional circuit.
