Midnight Mania! UFC Purges Roster, 11 Released

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Welcome to Midnight Mania!

The UFC machine never stops rolling.

Admittedly, it’s been a slow period over the last month. There’s only been a single event in the last month, but that hasn’t prevented the promotion from clearing up space in the ranks. The turnover rate for newer fighters is growing, resulting in fairly common roster purges. Per automated Twitter account UFC Roster Watch, 11 athletes have been removed from the eligibility to be ranked, which means they’re off the roster for one reason or another.

The total list is as follows: Mike Trizano, Sijara Eubanks, Liudvik Sholinian, Marcelo Rojo, Jay Perrin, Alejandro Perez, Raulian Paiva, Gadzhi Omargadzhiev, Kevin Natividad, Vince Morales, and Brandon Davis.

Occasionally, this ineligibility could mean extended contract negotiations. Perhaps that’s the case for Trizano, as The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) champion did win his last fight against Seung Woo Choi in an exciting knockout, even if he did miss weight. Trizano fought out his UFC contract at UFC 281, and currently, it doesn’t look like he’s been brought back.

Eubanks is a fairly notable release as well. At one point, she was scheduled to fight for the women’s Flyweight title. Weight misses cost her that opportunity and perhaps now her career, as the combination of a loss and weight miss to Melissa Gatto in December 2021 marks the final performance of her UFC career.

Raulian Paiva is arguably the other name that really stands out on this list. Paiva has lost his last two fights, but the 27-year-old Brazilian also earned rankings at both Flyweight and Bantamweight during his time on the roster.

Fortunately for these released athletes, UFC is far from the only game in town. Professional Fighter’s League (PFL) is revving up for more million dollar tournaments this year, and One Championship seems focused on building their US audience. Opportunities to exist, and perhaps there’s even a YouTube boxing payout awaiting someone on this list.

Insomnia

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Sleep well Maniacs! More martial arts madness is always on the way.