Back in 2013, one of the UFC’s top welterweights was released from the promotion following his first defeat inside the Octagon.
The UFC’s roster frequently goes through updates for various reasons but it’s relatively rare to see fighters who achieve success in the promotion get cut.
In recent times, Montana De La Rosa was cut despite the fact that she was coming off of a win and was unable to compete in her last fight after her opponent missed weight.
Controversy can also lead to an athlete exiting the roster, as was the case when Dana White dismissed Rousimar Palhares following his unsportsmanlike tendencies.
One of the most famous examples of a fighter parting ways with the UFC led to White addressing the backlash that the promotion received in a fired-up interview.
Dana White responded to backlash after the UFC cut former title challenger Jon Fitch
Jon Fitch is a fighter that has been used as an example for many years when talking about UFC athletes who achieve success inside the Octagon but don’t find themselves in the UFC’s good books.
The former title challenger, who faced Georges St-Pierre for the welterweight belt, was cut from the roster following a loss to Demian Maia at UFC 157, having gone 14-3-1 in the promotion.
Speaking to the media ahead of UFC 157, Dana White responded to some of the claims from critics that Fitch had been let go because of his unappealing wrestling-heavy style and a previous likeness-rights dispute with the promotion.
“Give me a f—ing break,” White said. “This is a sport just like any other sport. The Green Bay Packers just cut (Charles) Woodson. And a million other guys are getting cut, traded and everything else.”
Fans were surprised to see him cut at this stage in his career with many believing that Fitch, partly due to his style, always had a rocky relationship with the promotion.
White disputed this and added that the welterweight contender was already on “the downside of his career” after going 1-2-1 in his final UFC fights.
“This whole Jon Fitch-Dana battle is so f—— overrated,” White stated. “I don’t have one ounce of hate for Jon Fitch. I don’t even dislike him. Not even a little bit. I like Jon Fitch.”
Dana White said Jon Fitch could ‘find out what he’s worth’ after leaving the UFC
When speaking to the media ahead of UFC 157, Dana White stressed the point that his opinion of fighters isn’t solely based on their styles inside the Octagon.
The UFC CEO even said that he was even happy to see the response from fans who were upset about Jon Fitch being released from the promotion, despite the criticism that it had led to.
White didn’t rule out the idea of re-signing Fitch at a later date, having expected him to sign for Bellator, though he did highlight another potential issue from his time in the UFC.
“Actually, the response that Jon Fitch has had (from fans) is awesome. I’m glad that many people are behind him and support him. That’s not a bad thing. Good for him. But I can tell you this: Jon Fitch isn’t cheap. Viacom MMA has some money, so he can go out on the free market right now and find out what he’s worth.”
Fitch would go on to fight in WSOF and Bellator before retiring in 2020.