UFC on Fox 10: Henderson vs. Thomson - The Cut List

It seems that these pieces aren't exactly in line with the current UFC thinking as of late. Due to their large round of expansion into Asia and Europe this year, the promotion is stocking up on fighters and hasn't been releasing many guys or ladies as of late. It could all come out in one big dump at some point, similar to when Jon Fitch was cut along with 15 others last February. But that remains to be seen, so I'll just plug away like I usually do for now.

While some see this as a card that severely lacks depth for something that's airing on Fox, the card features a lot of guys that are at least competitive in their weight class. Eight fighters are coming off losses (two in title fights), while two are making their UFC debuts. Only one fighter is on a multi-fight losing streak as well. So there aren't many guys in real danger here, especially with recent precedent on releases. But, here's what I came up with.

Likely to be cut with a loss

Mike Rio - After a nice win at the TUF 15 Finale, Rio has exactly five minutes of cage time in his last two fights. And two submission losses. A win over fellow TUF competitor Cruickshank is absolutely vital for him to continue plying his trade in the UFC.

Nikita Krylov - His first fight with Soa Palelei was downright ugly. Soa was ridiculously gassed by a broken rib and Krylov still couldn't muster the energy to finish him. He needs a win to stay and any sort of loss, even if it's exciting, will probably mean the door.

Possibly cut with a loss

Junior Hernandez - He was smoked by Lucas Martins in 70 seconds in his UFC debut, and he's going to need a much better showing to hang around for another fight. If it's close or it's pretty exciting (definitely a possibility with Viana), he might get another fight. But if not, I don't see any reason to keep him around.

Walt Harris - He's only in the possibly category and not the likely side of things for two reasons - the first is that he showed some promise in his first fight with Jared Rosholt, dropping him twice early before gassing out. The other is that he comes from a camp (ATT) that has a good relationship with the UFC. But if he can't beat Krylov, does he really deserve to be in the best organization in the world? I would lean towards no.