The UFC’s regular trimming of the roster has continued, with the latest batch involving five fighters. According to a report from MMA Fighting, those no longer under UFC contract are Emil Meek, Lara Procopio, Roque Martinez, Alexander Yakovlev and Joe Ellenberger.
Meek and Yakovlev are relatively known veterans, and Procopio just had a win in 2021, but the cuts aren’t the most surprising given their recent records.
Yakovlev is a nine-fight UFC veteran that’s been with the promotion for over seven years. He’s fought the likes of Demian Maia and Kamaru Usman, and has a notable win over Gray Maynard in 2015. His release is unsurprising though, as he has lost four of his last five bouts dating back to his 2016 decision loss to Usman.
Meek made waves prior to his UFC stint, but had a disappointing 1-3 stretch with the promotion. He won his debut against Jordan Mein, but dropped his next three fights against talented fighters such as Usman and Jake Matthews.
Procopio is 1-2 in her UFC career, losing her debut to Karol Rosa in 2019, then splitting a pair of fights in 2021 with a win over Molly McCann and a loss to Casey O’Neill just last June.
Joe Ellenberger, the twin brother of Jake Ellenberger, hasn’t fought since 2014, but remained with in the UFC roster and was still part of the USADA testing pool until recently. A detached retina has kept him from returning to fighting.
Last May, at least 12 fighters were removed from the roster: Nine from this list, plus Maurice Greene, Dan Hardy, and Jacare Souza, after his contract was completed.
The UFC has also signed a good chunk of fighters in the last couple of months, so this batch of cuts aren’t unexpected. Here’s an updated list of the entire UFC roster and its recent changes.
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