Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is doing some spring cleaning.
The promotion recently parted ways with nearly a dozen fighters, according to MMA Fighting, including 34 year-old welterweight Abubakar Nurmagomedov. The Dagestani bruiser is the cousin of former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov but failed to match “The Eagle’s” success, finishing with a UFC record of 2-2.
That includes his decision loss to Elizeu Zaleski at UFC Vegas 74.
Nurmagomedov was among eight fighters who were released from the promotion or not re-signed after their contracts expired. The rest of the list include Mike Breeden, Fernie Garcia, Luis Saldana, Denys Bondar, Daniel Lacerda, and Mateus Mendonca. The remaining three fighters, Mark O. Madsen, Jamie Pickett, and Tyson Pedro, recently informed UFC of their decision to retire from mixed martial arts (MMA).
Hopefully nobody gets robbed in the process.
Retired fighters who decide to make a comeback at a later date will have to first satisfy any remaining bouts on their current UFC contracts, unless the promotion grants them an unconditional release. The remaining athletes are free to pursue opportunities elsewhere effective immediately.