UFC says goodbye to 8 fighters

UFC has chosen to say goodbye to eight fighters whose contracts have not been extended.

There is ongoing turnover in the pool of fighters in UFC. Some decide to stop themselves, while others do not get their contracts extended.

This time, there are eight fighters who will not continue in UFC. However, it has not yet been officially confirmed, but according to the media BJPenn, it’s over for all of them.

Lightweight: John Makdessi (18-9 MMA)

If Makdessi leaves UFC, it marks the end of a 13-year period as a UFC fighter. During this time, he has fought against Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone, Lando Vannata, Ross Pearson, and several others.

Bantamweight: JP Buys (9-6 MMA)

‘Young Savage’ has had a tough period in UFC, after being excluded from the Contender Series in 2020. The South African fighter has lost four consecutive fights, and was most recently defeated by Marcus McGhee in August.

Lightweight: Shane Young (13-8 MMA)

Four defeats in four fights seem to have cost Shane Young his place in UFC. He has been part of it since 2017 and has faced fighters like Alexander Volkanovski. However, Gabriel Miranda handed him the fourth consecutive defeat last month.

Featherweight: Tucker Lutz (12-4 MMA)

Tucker Lutz is also expected to be history in UFC. He made his debut with a great victory over Kevin Aguilar in May 2021. But since then, he has lost three consecutive fights. He most recently lost to Melsik Baghdasaryan in July.

Lightweight: Kamuela Kirk (11-6 MMA)

Kirk returned to UFC in 2021, where he won against Makwan Amirkhani. However, he has lost his last two fights against Damon Jackson and Esteban Ribovics. This has led to him being removed from UFC.

Welterweight: AJ Fletcher (10-3 MMA)

‘The Ghost’ leaves UFC with a record of 1-3. Fletcher got through the Contender Series, but debuted with two consecutive defeats. He bounced back with a victory over Themba Gorimbo, but a lost fight to Bryan Battle in September has been the final nail in the coffin.

Welterweight: Andre Fialho (16-8 MMA)

The hard-hitting Andre Fialho is one of the bigger names saying goodbye. He has faced several big names, including Michel Pereira. However, defeats in the last four fights to fighters like Tim Means have prompted UFC to drop him.

Lightweight: Carl Deaton (17-7 MMA)

Lightweight Carl Deaton has also said goodbye to UFC. The 33-year-old has lost his two fights in UFC, having lost to both Alex Munoz and Joe Solecki earlier this year.