REPORT | UFC Release 13 Fighters During COVID-19 Crisis

The UFC has cut the following 13 fighters from their roster according to Sherdog’s Tom Feely.

Mairbek Taisumov (7-2 UFC)

The 31-year-old Russian is the biggest and most surprising name on this list of cut fighters. Taisumov has a very healthy record of seven wins with just two defeats inside the octagon. His six-fight win streak was snapped last time out against Diego Ferreira. It is believed continued issues with securing a visa to fight in the United States may have played a factor in his release.

Khalid Murtazaliev (1-0 UFC)

Khalid Murtazaliev is the only other fighter on this list with a winning record in the UFC. The Russian beat C.B Dolloway in his promotional debut in 2018. However, he has since been flagged by USADA and this has apparently triggered his release from the organisation.

Zhenhong Lu (0-0 UFC)

From a fighter who only had one fight for the UFC, to someone who never even got the chance to make his debut. Zhenhong Lu was scheduled to face Movsar Evloev last summer but the fight was cancelled, and the UFC is apparently not interested in working something else out.

Chance Rencountre (2-2 UFC)

Chance Rencountre leaves the UFC after four fights with an even record. The 33-year-old beat hot prospect Ismail Naurdiev and Kyle Stewart in between losses to Belal Muhammad and Lyman Good. You’d think UFC would want to give him another chance, but not this time.

Dong Hyun Ma (3-5 UFC)

Dong Hyun Ma leaves the UFC with three wins to his name which is impressive in itself. Especially when you consider he beat the likes of Takanori Gomi and Demian Brown. The 31-year-old has unfortunately lost three in a row though and as we often see that is often a trigger for the UFC.

Cyril Asker (2-3 UFC)

The 34-year-old from France has been fun to watch. Only one of his five fights have made it out of the first round. However, he seemed somewhat out of his depth during defeats to Jared Cannonier, Walt Harris, and Tai Tuivasa.

Matthew Lopez (2-4 UFC)

Three defeats in a row, two of them by knockout have unfortunately seen Matthew Lopez receive his marching orders from the UFC.

Talita Bernardo (1-3 UFC)

Talita Bernardo leaves the UFC with a high profile win over Sarah Moras but that’s about it. She suffered three losses during her stint with the organisation against Marion Reneau, Irene Aldana, and Viviane Araujo.

Isabela de Padua (0-1 UFC)

Just the one fight for Isabela de Padua who filled in against Ariane Lipski on short notice. Usually, she would have got another shot but failing a USADA test has led to her being cut.

Kyle Prepolec (0-2 UFC)

The 30-year-old Canadian Kyle Prepolec has confirmed his release from the UFC on Twitter. He lost twice in the promotion against Nordine Taleb and Austin Hubbard.

Marcos Mariano (0-2 UFC)

Another fighter who lost two in a row was Marcos Mariano. Defeats against Lando Vannata and Claudio Puelles mean he won’t get a third shot.

Tonya Evinger (0-3 UFC)

Former Invicta FC bantamweight champion Tonya Evinger stepped up to face Cris Cyborg on late notice back at UFC 214. She lost that fight convincingly and two more before the UFC decided to make this cut

Jodie Esquibel (0-4 UFC)

Jodie Esquibel got more chances than anyone from the UFC going 0-4 in the company. Losses to Karolina Kowalkiewicz, Jessica Aguilar, Angela Hill, and Hannah Cifers have finally forced the UFC to release her.

Does anyone on this list of UFC cuts surprise you?