The UFC chopping block is like a revolving door these days, especially for fighters coming off a few distinct losses.
We are not even one month removed from seeing the promotion release the likes of Yancy Medeiros and Ryan Benoit, but UFC is back to its cutting ways. This time around, Roosevelt Roberts, Anderson dos Santos, Drako Rodriguez and Jamey Simmons were given their walking papers. This is according to a recent report by MMA Fighting.
Roberts, 27, is the most recognizable name out of the group. The talented submission specialist was expected to be a significant addition to the lightweight division after coming over from Dana White’s Contender Series back in 2015. After posting a 4-1 record in his first five trips to the Octagon Roberts hit a bit of a roadblock. He was quickly submitted by Jim Miller, struggled against last-second replacement Kevin Croom, and most recently finished by Ignacio Bahamondes with one of the best knockouts of 2021.
The other notable fighter out of this group is Rodriguez. At just 25 years of age “The Great Drakolini” carried a lot of hype with him coming out of Dana White’s Contender Series earlier this year. Unfortunately, back-to-back losses to Aiemann Zahabi and Vince Morales has pushed the young bantamweight out of the promotion (for now). Rodriguez is still young enough and skilled enough to win a few fights outside of UFC and return somewhere down the line.
What do you think of these most recent UFC cuts — is there one fighter who deserved to stay?