Two Main Card Fighters Cut After Poor UFC Vegas 69 Performances

Poor performances plus long losing streaks prompted the UFC to remove two fighters from the roster immediately after they competed on the main card of the latest UFC APEX event.

Sometimes it’s the less impressive looking UFC Fight Night cards that deliver the best sleeper action. And sometimes they’re just snoozers. Saturday’s UFC Vegas 69 card largely fell into the latter, with a poor main card saved by a solid headline fight between Erin Blanchfield and Jessica Andrade.

The two worst performances of the night went to William Knight and Jordan Wright.

Knight never really got going in his fight, which went the full fifteen minutes and featured little other than Knight getting endlessly kicked by his opponent Marcin Prachnio. Prachnio would walk away with the unanimous decision win while Knight would apologize for “freezing up.”

In the co-main event, “The Beverly Hills Ninja” Jordan Wright would struggle against TUF runner-up Zac Pauga in what fans on social media were calling a terrible performance by both fighters. It was Wright’s debut in the UFC light heavyweight division, and it did not generate the desired effect for the 31-year-old.

Both fighters are on heavy skids, with Knight 1-3 over his last four and Wright 1-5 in his last six. Those records combined with the dreary performances at the UFC have now led the promotion to cut both men. UFC Roster Watch, which automatically monitors the company’s list of athletes for changes, noted that both fighters were removed on Tuesday night.

Prior to his losing streak, Jordan Wright was an exciting prospect who entered the UFC with a 10-0-1 record. He went 2-1 in his first three fights with the promotion and generated some spectacular highlights.

William Knight came into the UFC off a big Contender Series Season 4 win and went 3-1 over his first four fights. His physique made him an intriguing addition to light heavyweight, but he struggled predictably with his cardio and weight.

Also removed: women’s bantamweight fighter Lina Lansberg, who announced her retirement following a submission loss to Mayra Bueno Silva at UFC Vegas 69. Lansberg has gone 0-4 over the last two years. She made the announcement shortly after that on social media.

“Thank you so much for all the love and support,” Lansberg wrote on Instagram. “This has been a hell of a ride and to start fighting is the best thing I’ve ever done. It has given me so, so much. But now it’s time to move on. I’m done.”

It’s not every week that we see two fighters from the main card of an event get cut immediately after. But given the number of red on their record and the uninspiring performances they gave, it isn’t too surprising.