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And Now They’re Fired: Isaac Vallie-Flagg, Guto Inocente, and a Whole Heap of Others

(Photo via Getty.)

2015 is off to a rough start for a handful of UFC fighters, Potato Nation. According to a pair of tweets sent out by @FightersInfo (which have been confirmed by several of the names mentioned), the UFC has released seven more fighters from its roster and lost another to retirement. Fight Night: Dickshooter will surely suffer from this.

Let’s get to the casualties, shall we?

Isaac Vallie-Flagg: After transitioning to the UFC following the Strikeforce merger in 2012, Vallie-Flagg quickly established a reputation as one of the lightweight division’s most consistently entertaining brawlers. Unfortunately, his inconsistent at best 1-3 record inside the octagon just wasn’t doing it. Following his third straight loss to Matt Wiman at Fight Night 57 in November, Flagg announced his release from the UFC via Twitter last week, stating that “sometimes putting on a fun show isn’t enough” before seeing if his old buddy Scott Coker was in need of someone who “comes to scrap.”

Guto Inocente: Another Strikeforce veteran and one who was riding a ton of hype into the UFC until Alistair Overeem’d him in training, Inocente made his long-awaited (and long-delayed) UFC debut at the TUF 19 Finale against Derrick “The Black Beast” Lewis. It did not end well. Inocente made the cut to light heavyweight for his next bout and came in as a huge favorite against (my boy) Anthony Perosh at Fight Night 55, but the 42-year-old “Hippo” was simply too grizzled and choked him out inside four minutes.

(Photo via Getty.)

Let’s get to the casualties, shall we?

Fabricio Camoes: Following an 0-1-1 run during his first tour of duty back in 2009-10, Camoes picked up a pair of wins on the local circuit (including a win over TUF 8 winner Efrain Escudero) and was brought back to the UFC in January of 2012. A unanimous decision loss to Melvin Guillard at UFC 148 was followed by submission losses to Jim Miller and Tony Martin, which were surprising to say the least for the 3rd degree black belt under Royler Gracie.

Phil Harris: The aforementioned retiree, Harris announced his departure from professional fighter on Twitter last week, stating “So 2014 I’ve decided to retire from MMA but will be staying competitive training out of @Gym01Portsmouth BJJ team roll on 2015.” Harris has not fought since July, where he dropped a unanimous decision to Neil Seery at Fight Night: McGregor vs. Brandao, and retires with a 1-3 1 NC record in the UFC and a 22-12 record overall.

And now, the guys you probably didn’t know where UFC fighters in the first place…

Chris Heatherly: 0-2, best known as the victim of the first ever Omoplata submission in the UFC (to Ben Saunders at Fight Night 49). Was most recently TKO’d by Augusto Montano in the first round at UFC 180.

Garett Whiteley: 0-3, suffered a TKO loss to Alan Patrick Silva Alves in his 2013 UFC debut before dropping a pair of UD’s to Vinc Pichel and David Michaud this year.

Wagner Silva: 0-2, rear-naked choked twice. On. I am moving.

Ernest Chavez: I’ll be honest, I have no idea if this “Ernest Chavez” even exists. I have no recollection of any of the three fights he’s supposedly had in the UFC (of which he lost two), and his name sounds just fake enough to arouse my suspicions that the UFC created him out of thin air as part of some tax write-off scheme. Regardless, BloodyElbow is reporting that he has “booked for a fight in another organization, outside the UFC and has thus, almost certainly, been released.” Translation: He’s a phantom, an apparition, second cousin to Harvey the Rabbit.

It’s always saddening to see a bunch of fighters get the axe, but look at it this way, at least Charlie Brenneman has found himself a few co-plaintiffs for his upcoming lawsuit against the UFC.

–J. Jones

And Now They’re Fired: Pat Healy, TUF 16 Winner Colton Smith, + More

(You just keep your surfer boy hand gestures away from my daughter, pothead! Photo via Getty.)

Ever since being screwed out of his UFC 159 win over Jim Miller (and the $130,000 in bonuses that came with it) due to a positive marijuana test (a.k.a some old bullshit), Pat Healy has seen some rough times. He’s dropped his past four contests to Khabib Nurmagomedov, Bobby Green, Jorge Masvidal, and Gleison Tibau, and while none of those were exactly gimme fights, Healy’s stock in the lightweight division has plummeted nonetheless. Unfortunately, today brings news that “Bam Bam” has been released from the UFC in light of his four-fight skid.

The losing streak seems all the more surprising given Healy’s previous run under the Strikeforce banner, which saw him score five straight wins and earn a title shot against Gil Melendez (that was eventually cancelled when the latter went down with an injury). Tough luck, kid. Here’s hoping Healy can rebound in a big way when the WSOF inevitably scoops him up.

In somewhat less surprising pink slip news, TUF 16 winner Colton Smith has been fired following his lightning quick submission loss to the Wikipedia-less Carlos Diego Ferreira at Fight Night 44 last month. Since defeating Mike Ricci to win the TUF 16 trophy back in December of 2012, Smith has dropped three straight to Robert Whittaker, Michael Chiesa, and Ferreira, all by stoppage. His most recent loss dropped his professional record to 3-4, or 6-4 if you’re the promotion attempting to make their reality show winners look like above-average fighters.

In other firing news…

(You just keep your surfer boy hand gestures away from my daughter, pothead! Photo via Getty.)

In addition to the release of Healy and Smith, the UFC has announced the release of three other fighters. Below are their names, followed by our reaction in gif form.

Estevan Payan: 0-3 in the UFC, with stoppage losses to Alex White, Robbie Peralta, and a decision loss to Jeremy Stephens. Payan is perhaps best known for falling victim to the *first* Bellator spinning backfist heard ’round the world.

Chris Indich: 0-2 in the UFC, with losses coming to Richard Walsh (via UD) at the TUF Nations Finale and Vik Grujic (via TKO) at Fight Night 43. I honestly have no idea who any of the people I just mentioned are.

Dave Galera: 0-1, dropped a decision to ROYSTON F*CKING WEE at Fight Night 34 back in January. ROYSTON WEE, YOU GUYS!

–J. Jones

And Now He’s Fired: Will Chope Fired from UFC After Shady Past Surfaces

(Photo via Getty)

UFC Fight Night 38 is only hours away but it’s already causing quite a stir in the headlines. The reason? Will Chope was fired from the UFC this morning after an article from Bleacher Report exposed the fighter’s sordid past.

Chope was discharged from the Air Force in 2009 due to repeated instances of domestic abuse. The final straw was assaulting his wife in that same year, and threatening her with a knife. Here are some of the details from the official Air Force Court of Appeals documents:

(Photo via Getty)

During the phone call, the appellant [Chope] and AW [his then wife] got into an argument concerning a joint credit card. he then asked AW to pick him up so that he could visit their daughter. AW hesitantly agreed…During the visit, the appellant resumed the argument concerning the credit card. The argument escalated and he told AW that if she did not give him the credit card, he would hurt her. When AW refused, the appellant told her that he had noting to lose and that he was going back to Florida. He then went to the kitchen, retrieved a paring knife, and threatened AW with it. He grabbed her, slammed her head onto the floor, and hit her on top of her head with both the knife handle and his hand. When AW screamed for help, the appellant took her onto the ground and used a ‘pillow or blanket’ to silence her screams. Thea appellant continued demanding that she return the credit card, and she continued refusing. At one point, he pointed the handle of the knife at her thigh. When AW tried to escape, he kicked her leg with his foot, but she never gave him the credit card.

Depressing stuff. The court rejected Chope’s appeal and is discharge was upheld.

Chope issued a statement on the domestic abuse allegations, but this was before the UFC made their final decision on the issue:

I fight today. But I just want to make a small post about what has been brought up last night. I made some mistakes in my past. The incidents happened 5 years ago and I will live with them for the rest of my life. But I just want everyone to know the articles are being sensationalized right now and me and my ex wife have spoken about this and we would like everyone to know that we are friends now and have moved on and are different people and are just trying to be good parents to our daughter. She also made a post on her personal page she is allowing me to share. I will make a formal address to this issue after the fight, but I hope this is suffice until then.

When all this came to light, the UFC’s reaction was swift. Chope’s fight against Diego Brandao at tonight’s UFC Fight Night 38 was scrapped, and Chope’s contract was terminated. Brandao will receive both show and win money. As for Chope, we likely won’t be seeing him in the UFC again. He was 19-6 in MMA but 0-1 in the UFC, losing to Max Holloway at UFC Fight Night 34.

After the fight was canceled, Chope issued yet another statement:

My fight has been canceled for a 5 yaer old mistake I made. I am truly sorry to all the fans and will do everything I can to make this right. I have spoken with my ex-wife on the phone and she supports what I am doing and together we will make a formal press release as soon as I get back to the USA on Wednesday.

More updates as we get them.

And Now They’re Fired: Alessio Sakara, George Sotiropoulos, and Rosi Sexton Removed From UFC.com Roster

(To answer the question posed by your body language, hellz yeah bro, that is some sick ink. / Photo via Getty)

BloodyElbow gives us the heads up that three notable UFC fighters have had their profiles removed from UFC.com — a sure sign that they’ve recently been released by the promotion. While it’s always sad to see people lose their jobs right before Christmas, you can’t argue that these three didn’t have it coming. So who felt the axe in the latest round of roster-cuts? Let’s begin…

Alessio Sakara: The Italian striker has been a reliable gatekeeper-presence at light-heavyweight and middleweight since his Octagon debut in 2005, earning solid wins against Elvis Sinosic, Joe Vedepo, Thales Leites, and James Irvin. But training injuries began to pile up beginning in 2009, and Sakara also missed fights due to sudden illness and the loss of his father.

In 2011, Sakara kicked off what would become a four-fight losing streak, when he dropped a decision to newcomer (and future middleweight champion) Chris Weidman, who came into the fight as a short notice injury replacement. After that, Sakara was KO’d by Brian Stann, DQ’d due to rabbit-punches in a fight against Patrick Cote, and armbarred by UFC rookie Nicholas Musoke during his most recent appearance at UFC Fight Night 30 in October. That loss dropped Sakara’s overall UFC record to 6-8 with one no-contest.

George Sotiropoulos: After entering the UFC as semi-finalist on TUF 6 in 2007, Sotiropoulos went on an absolute tear, winning seven fights in a row (which earned him a spot on the all-time leaderboard). In 2010, Sotiropoulos defeated Joe Stevenson, Kurt Pellegrino, and Joe Lauzon, making him a legitimate title contender in the lightweight division. But in a stunning reversal of fortune, Sotriopoulos would never win another fight in the UFC.

(To answer the question posed by your body language, hellz yeah bro, that is some sick ink. / Photo via Getty)

First, G-Sots was bombed out by Dennis Siver, losing a unanimous decision after being repeatedly unable to take Siver to the mat. Then, Sotiropoulos was on the wrong end of brutal knockouts by Rafael dos Anjos and Ross Pearson, his rival coach on TUF: Smashes. (There was even a rumor that George was KO’d during the filming of that show.) Luckily, Sotiropoulos remained conscious during his most recent appearance at UFC 167 in October, but he still lost a decision to KJ Noons, sealing his fate with the promotion.

Rosi Sexton: The British WMMA veteran came into the UFC with a solid 13-2 record — her only losses coming against Gina Carano and Zoila Frausto Gurgel — but she failed to make an impact in the bantamweight division, losing consecutive decisions to Alexis Davis and Jessica Andrade this year; in case you missed it, Sexton’s loss to Andrade was a thoroughly lopsided beat-down. Luckily, Sexton still has her osteopathy practice and doctorate in theoretical computer science to fall back on, which begs the question: What the hell was Rosi Sexton doing fighting other women in cages in the first place? Don’t people only compete in MMA as a last resort? Sexton plans to get surgery to repair two prolapsed discs in her neck, and is not sure if she’ll ever fight again.

And Now They’re Fired: Gracie, Magalhaes, Herman, And Three Other Fighters Removed From UFC.com Roster

(*yawn*…damn, I was having the most incredible dream. I was being held in the arms of a beautiful woman. She had this long, blonde braid that was tickling my-OH MY GOD, NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!” / Photo via Getty)

It’s been a while since the UFC has had a good ol’ mass bloodletting, and it looks like the UFC sent out the firing squad this week, with a half-dozen struggling fighters removed from the UFC.com roster after recent losses. Let’s run ’em down…

Roger Gracie: Gracie’s contract wasn’t renewed after his uninspiring loss to Tim Kennedy during his Octagon debut at UFC 162, officially making him the third-straight Gracie to go “one and done” in the UFC.

Vinny Magalhaes: Vinny’s 14-second knockout loss to Anthony Perosh at UFC 163 made it two defeats in a row for him — following a decision loss against Phil Davis in April — and dropped his overall Octagon record to 1-4, through two stints in the promotion. Last week, the TUF 8 finalist claimed he would retire from MMA if the UFC dropped him. So…good luck, man.

Dave Herman: Four-straight stoppage losses and two failed drug-tests for marijuana — few fighters have had poorer showings in the Octagon than Pee-Wee. It’s a mystery why he even got a chance to fight Gabriel Gonzaga at UFC 162 in the first place, but a 17-second KO loss sealed his fate for good.

Ednaldo Oliveira: “Squidward” came into the UFC as an undefeated heavyweight, was quickly subbed by Gabriel Gonzaga last January at UFC 142, spent an entire year battling injuries, dropped to light-heavyweight, and lost to some guy named Francimar at UFC 163. peaceout.gif

Bristol Marunde: Marunde’s two-fight stint in the UFC resulted in stoppage losses to Clint Hester at the TUF 17 Finale and Viscardi Andrade at UFC 163. The loss to Andrade was actually Marunde’s third overall, as he entered the UFC following a submission loss to Ronaldo Souza in Strikeforce.

John Maguire: The fact that Maguire won his first two fights in the Octagon makes him the most successful UFC fighter on this list by far. At one point a solid British prospect with an interesting backstory, Maguire followed up those wins with decision losses to John Hathaway and Matt Riddle. Then, Maguire dropped to lightweight and lost another decision to Mitch Clarke at UFC 161 in June. Three in a row, gots to go.

And Now They’re Fired: Maiquel Falcao and Paul Daley’s Legal Troubles Earn Them the Bellator Boot

(Pictured: The man Maiquel Falcao should have never done f*cked with.)

Here’s some unsurprising news: Due to their ongoing personal/legal troubles, Paul Daley and Maiquel Falcao were officially released from their Bellator contracts yesterday. While there are many things to take away from this decision, we think the most important one is that someone finally figured out how to break a Bellator contract without being sued. QUICK, EDDIE, TAKE TO THE STREETS!

You might recall that we slightly jumped the gun on Daley’s release after it had been reported that he was involved in a bar brawl (or “pub pugilistic” as they are known in London), the legal repercussions of which prevented him from entering the U.S. and competing under the Bellator banner. But in hindsight, we’ll just chalk up that previous article to our keen sense of premonition, pat ourselves on the back and order another Glen Garioch neat.

Falcao, on the other hand, found his legal trouble in the form of a wild gas station brawl (or “Thursday” as they are known in Brazil) that left his friend and fellow MMA fighter Kaue Mena hospitalized to this day. Seriously, join us after the jump to hear the “good news” on how Mena’s recovery has been going.

(Pictured: The man Maiquel Falcao should have never done f*cked with.)

(Via The Sun Daily/Google Translate):

The doctor of Balneário Camboriú, Hugo Sérgio Pretto did some exams on the MMA fighter Kauê Mena that remains hospitalized since the street fight in a gas station. Stimulated, the fighter responded by squeezing the doctors hand and moving his eyes.
…
Despite the responses, the situation of Kauê remains critical. According to Pretto’s research, the fighter have internal bleeding and lost a lot of brain mass. It was needed to remove the top of his head through surgery, due to his brain’s swelling.

And all this because Mena chose to be friends with a piece of human trash like Falcao. Truly a sad day for the mediator friend, indeed.

Whether or not the mystery men involved in the brawl have been apprehended/charged yet remains to be seen — the same goes for Falcao. We will continue to update you on the situation as information is made available.

–J. Jones