Luke Barnatt announces his release from the UFC

There will be no more “Bigslow” in the UFC. At least for now.

Luke Barnatt, the popular British middleweight, announced on social media Thursday that he has been released by the organization after three straight losses. Most recently, Barnatt fell via unanimous decision to Mark Munoz last month in Manila.

So looks like my journey with the @ufc is over. It all started 6 years ago when I walked into the… https://t.co/3JaSumLT6l

— Bigslow (@LukeBarnatt) June 4, 2015

Barnatt (8-3) became popular on The Ultimate Fighter 17 in 2013 as part of Chael Sonnen’s team. He advanced to the quarterfinals in the TUF tournament, where he lost to Dylan Andrews. The 6-foot-6 Barnatt, 27, was signed by the UFC anyway and quickly went 3-0 in the organization to start his pro MMA career perfect at 8-0.

However, Barnatt fell on hard times over the last year. He lost a controversial split decision to Sean Strickland in May 2014 and then fell by split decision again to Roger Narvaez last November. In both of those fights, he was winning early on before his opponent rallied. Munoz was his toughest test to date and Barnatt was battered in that fight for three rounds.

Barnatt, a Southampton, England native and Alliance MMA product, will have value for other organizations. He is also a natural talent in front of the camera and has done television work in the United Kingdom.

The Brit is the latest in a string of cuts made by the UFC this week. Shayna Baszler, Tim Elliott, Louis Gaudinot and seven others were released by the organization Monday.

There will be no more “Bigslow” in the UFC. At least for now.

Luke Barnatt, the popular British middleweight, announced on social media Thursday that he has been released by the organization after three straight losses. Most recently, Barnatt fell via unanimous decision to Mark Munoz last month in Manila.

Barnatt (8-3) became popular on The Ultimate Fighter 17 in 2013 as part of Chael Sonnen’s team. He advanced to the quarterfinals in the TUF tournament, where he lost to Dylan Andrews. The 6-foot-6 Barnatt, 27, was signed by the UFC anyway and quickly went 3-0 in the organization to start his pro MMA career perfect at 8-0.

However, Barnatt fell on hard times over the last year. He lost a controversial split decision to Sean Strickland in May 2014 and then fell by split decision again to Roger Narvaez last November. In both of those fights, he was winning early on before his opponent rallied. Munoz was his toughest test to date and Barnatt was battered in that fight for three rounds.

Barnatt, a Southampton, England native and Alliance MMA product, will have value for other organizations. He is also a natural talent in front of the camera and has done television work in the United Kingdom.

The Brit is the latest in a string of cuts made by the UFC this week. Shayna Baszler, Tim Elliott, Louis Gaudinot and seven others were released by the organization Monday.