Jake Ellenberger Was Cut By UFC Prior To UFC 201
Heading into last night’s (July 30, 2016) UFC 201 from the Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia, welterweight veteran Jake “The Juggernaut” Ellenberger was going through quite the rough patch. He had lost five of his last six bouts with three of those losses coming by way of stoppage. It was safe to say that “The Juggernaut” was on his last legs with the promotion last night, and it turns out that he was actually given a second chance.
Speaking on FOX Sports 1 after the event, UFC President Dana White said that the UFC had briefly cut Ellenberger, but that the longtime veteran begged for more chance:
“I didn’t know what to expect from him,” White said. “I said in the standup with [UFC commentator Joe] Rogan before the fights started, if he comes out and does what he’s capable of doing, then this is going to be a very fun fight.”
“With the UFC, we had cut him,” White added. “He flew out to Las Vegas and he met with me and said, ‘Don’t cut me, please.’ He said, ‘Give me one more shot. I promise I will come out and deliver.’”
Ellenberger undoubtedly delivered, as he came out strong in the first and blasted his opponent, No. 9-ranked Matt Brown, with a body kick that dropped “The Immortal”. “The Juggernaut” followed up with a flurry of strikes to end the bout in the very first round. Many had expected Brown to get the job done, but as White stated, Ellenberger showed up:
“We put him against Matt Brown and he came out and delivered,” White said.
Where does “The Juggernaut” go after this victory?
