Photo by Buda Mendes/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is tightening up its roster as it heads into the fourth quarter of 2020, parting ways with another four combatants, including former Top 10 title contenders Iuri Alcantara and Mara Romero Borella.
Alcantara, now 40, was in the bantamweight mix back in early 2015 after migrating from World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) and putting together a 6-2 record with a couple of knockouts. Unfortunately, “Marajo” (35-10) was unable to maintain his momentum and went 4-5 across his next nine fights.
As for Borella, 34, she crossed over from Invicta FC with plenty of buzz and quickly worked her way up to No. 9 in the flyweight division. Then came a four-fight losing streak with two submission defeats and the promotion said goodbye to the 12-9 “Maravilla.”
Joining them on the unemployment line are Jeff Hughes (10-4) and Khadis Ibragimov (8-4). Hughes, 32, made a splash on Dana White’s “Contender Series” only to go winless in four trips to the Octagon. Ibragimov, the youngest of the bunch at just 25, also failed to register a win in four attempts under the UFC banner.
Goodbye UFC … hello Bellator?