Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) has made two final cuts in 2024.
This past weekend (Sat., Dec. 21, 2024), UFC Roster Watch revealed Welterweight Jared Gooden and Middleweight Abu Azaitar were released from their respective contracts and/or the promotion decided not to extend them.
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Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC
Gooden (23-10) has now received his walking papers from UFC for the second time. His first stint in the promotion, which occurred from 2020 to 2021, saw him go 1-3, losing to Alan Jouban, Abubakar Nurmagomedov, and Randy Brown.
“Nite Train” went back to the regional scene, scoring four wins, and then got the invite back to the UFC; however, it went disastrously, as he missed weight twice (he missed weight against Brown in his first go-round).
The 31-year-old lost to Carlston Harris in his return fight but scored a Performance of the Night against Wellington Turman, tapping him out (watch highlights). In his most recent outing, he lost a lackluster unanimous decision to Chidi Njokuani, which sealed his fate.
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Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
Azaitar, 38, was plagued by inactivity, which more than likely led to his release. “Captain Morocco” made his debut way back in 2018 but only fought two more times – once at UFC 260 in 2021, getting stopped by Marc-Andre Barriault (watch highlights), and in his final UFC fight, he lost a forgettable unanimous decision to Sedriques Dumas at UFC 294.
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