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Six fighters removed from UFC roster

With the recent influx of UFC talent it was only a matter of time before a few fighters got released as well. Now it appears that the axe has fallen as six fighters were removed from the UFC.com rosters.

By Zane Simon
USA TODAY Sports

The UFC giveth and the UFC taketh away. The ufc has signed 8 fighters in the last month alone who have yet to make their promotional debut, it only stands to reason, with that kind of influx there would be a few fighters going the other way as well. Now it appears the ties have been cut with another five fighters and one we already knew about.

To get the old news out of the way, the UFC has removed Roger Gracie's profile from their middleweight ranks. Reports of Gracie's release surfaced last week and came on the heels of his loss to Tim Kennedy in a fight where he not only failed to out strike his opponent but failed to out grapple him as well. It would appear that another five fighters are accompanying Gracie in his journey into the non-UFC MMA world. Those fighters whose names have been removed from the UFC rosters are Dave Herman, Ednaldo Oliveira, Bristol Marunde, John Maguire, and Vinny Magalhaes.

Not to be down on any of these fighters, but there are no real surprises here. Gracie was the biggest surprise, but that's already been covered. Apart from him, the case for keeping Magalhaes could be made but only entirely on his successes outside the UFC, and more to the point outside MMA. Magalhaes' grappling is great, amongst the best in the world, but his ability to work his one amazing skill into a fighting game plan is intensely limited. He threatened to retire if released from the UFC, so I'll be keeping my ears open to see if he carries through on that promise.

Apart from him Herman, Oliveira, Marunde, and Maguire have all looked sub-par as of late and need a lot of work rounding out their skills and, in many cases, developing the sort of sustained tenacity necessary to consistently fight at a high level. Maguire and Oliveira probably have some chance of coming back with a couple wins if they can look impressive in smaller promotions. I have my doubts that we'll see Herman or Marunde in the Octagon again. We'll be sure to keep you posted as there are always organizations looking to snap up UFC fighter fresh off their release, and there are probably more cuts coming. Also, please keep in mind that this is in response to UFC.com profile adjustments. We will be updating with confirmation from the fighters when and if available.

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