Just 10 days into February, and the UFC has reportedly removed almost a dozen fighters from their roster.
Being removed from the UFC’s active roster typically signals a fighter’s release, or completion of contract. As noted by UFC Roster Watch, a twitter bot that automatically tracks activity in the promotion’s roster, 11 more fighters have been removed this month. Bloody Elbow also tracks the full UFC roster here.
This latest list isn’t very surprising given their recent records, but it includes notable athletes such as talented striker Sean Soriano and Andre Ewell, who has a win over Renan Barao. Although Hu Yaozong hasn’t really shown as much promise as his other countrymen, it’s also worth noting how there is now one less UFC fighter from China — a lucrative market for the promotion.
The full list of cuts so far this month is as follows:
- Gustavo Lopez (12-6-1, 1-2-1 UFC) is coming off a draw on his fourth UFC outing, which likely means he completed his contract.
- Mallory Martin (7-5, 1-3 UFC), the Invicta FC vet, only has one win in four UFC fights, and completed her four-fight deal.
- Collin Anglin (8-3-0, 0-2 UFC), the Contender Series vet, lost his first two bouts with the promotion.
- Dakota Bush (8-4, 0-2 UFC) also had a brief stay after losing first two UFC bouts.
- Andre Ewell (17-9, 4-5 UFC) had a very promising start to his UFC stint, going 4-2 with a win over former champ Barao. Unfortunately, he had a terrible 2021, where he lost all three of his bouts that year.
- Hu Yaozong (3-3, 0-3 UFC). Most Chinese fighters have way more fights than their actual online records, so Hu could have a prettier record than this. It didn’t matter when it counted though, as he lost all three of his UFC bouts.
- Sasha Palantnikov (6-4, 1-2 UFC), who is from Hong Kong, opened his UFC stint with a win in 2020. Unforunately, he got choked out in his next two UFC bouts in 2021.
- Domingo Pilarte (8-3 1 NC, 0-2 1 NC UFC) had a win that was weirdly overturned due to a marijuana test in Texas. So instead of having a victory on his record, he technically is winless in his three UFC fights and got the axe.
- Gaetano Pirrello (15-7-1, 0-2 UFC). Another brief UFC stint after losing the first two bouts.
- Sean Soriano (14-8, 0-5 UFC) came into the UFC as a hyped undefeated prospect in 2014, but went 0-3 against stiff competition. After a nice run in the regional scene, he moved up in weight and got a second shot in 2021. He is certainly a slick striker, but the holes in his game was exploited again, going 0-2 before this release.
- Jordan Williams (9-6 1 NC, 0-3), the Contender Series vet lost all three of his UFC fights.
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