The UFC is apparently taking an off weekend to cull a large segment of their roster.
According to a report from Swedish site MMANytt.se, the UFC is planning to cut upwards of 50 fighters over this weekend, and with several fighters announcing their exits on Friday, there’s evidence to support the report.
Following TUF 19 winner Eddie Gordon revealing his exit, TUF 19 light heavyweight runner-up Matt Van Buren revealed his release via Twitter, as did Christos Giagos and Roger Narvaez.
Giagos noted in his post that the UFC let him know they were “overbooked,” necessitating the latest round of cuts. If the MMANytt.se report is true, expect many more to reveal their releases in the coming days.
Penick’s Analysis: I feel for the fighters who are now looking for a new fighting home, but it’s an overdue move on the UFC’s part. They’ve had far too many fighters under contract in the last few years, not only for the amount of events they have, but also because they couldn’t accommodate more than a couple of fights per fighter with where they were at. The meaning of “UFC fighter” has been diluted because of their penchant for giving guys fights who probably don’t belong on that stage, and they need to get rid of some of the chaff that is doing nothing more than taking up space on cards. It sucks for those who are going to find themselves in that grouping, but it’s absolutely something the UFC needs to be doing on occasion.
(h/t: BloodyElbow.com)
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