Long-tenured UFC heavyweight Pat Barry will take an indefinite leave of absence from professional MMA and has been released from his UFC contract per his own request. The news came Tuesday evening in a statement that was released to USA Today‘s MMAJunkie by Barry’s manager, Brian Butler. “[Barry] has come to the decision that he will be taking an indefinite leave […]
Long-tenured UFC heavyweight Pat Barry will take an indefinite leave of absence from professional MMA and has been released from his UFC contract per his own request. The news came Tuesday evening in a statement that was released to USA Today‘s MMAJunkie by Barry’s manager, Brian Butler. “[Barry] has come to the decision that he will be taking an indefinite leave […]
Three veteran fighters on difficult losing streaks have been bumped from the UFC. The promotion announced over Twitter that they are parting ways with George Sotiropoulos, Rosi Sexton and Alessio Sakara. Sotiropoulos, Sexton and Sakara have been released from the UFC. http://t.co/ZRBO8wAXof pic.twitter.com/mGzo7K5lcm — UFC Tonight (@UFCTonight) December 19, 2013 George Sotiropoulos is an alumnus […]
Three veteran fighters on difficult losing streaks have been bumped from the UFC. The promotion announced over Twitter that they are parting ways with George Sotiropoulos, Rosi Sexton and Alessio Sakara. Sotiropoulos, Sexton and Sakara have been released from the UFC. http://t.co/ZRBO8wAXof pic.twitter.com/mGzo7K5lcm — UFC Tonight (@UFCTonight) December 19, 2013 George Sotiropoulos is an alumnus […]
(Bjorn Rebney: Putting the “backhand” in “backhanded compliment” since 2008.)
You gotta love the Bellator business model, Nation. Two aging, injury-prone UFC stars who are 3-7 in their past 10 combined? BUILD A PPV AROUND THEM, DAMMIT. A longstanding (albeit incredibly boring) champion who has dominated every last opponent placed before him? LET HIM SPREAD HIS WINGS AND FLY, DAMMIT.
And so goes the Bellator career of welterweight champion Ben Askren, who was released into the murky waters of unrestricted free agency earlier today. A press release sent out this morning has the details:
Ben Askren is now an unrestricted free agent after Bellator released the undefeated welterweight. The Bellator Welterweight World Title will be vacant until Douglas Lima faces the winner of the Season 9 Welterweight Tournament later this winter when the new Bellator Welterweight Champion will be crowned.
“I’ve said it many times, Ben’s a completely one-dimensional fighter who is utterly dominant in that dimension,” (Ed note:BUUUUUURRRRNNNN?!) Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney said. “I had a number of discussions with Ben and it became clear it was time for both parties to move in different directions. We’ve relinquished any right to match here and Ben can sign with whoever he chooses to sign with. Ben’s been at Bellator since the start of his career, I respect him and what he’s accomplished and wish him the best wherever he goes.”
(Bjorn Rebney: Putting the “backhand” in “backhanded compliment” since 2008.)
You gotta love the Bellator business model, Nation. Two aging, injury-prone UFC stars who are 3-7 in their past 10 combined? BUILD A PPV AROUND THEM, DAMMIT. A longstanding (albeit incredibly boring) champion who has dominated every last opponent placed before him? LET HIM SPREAD HIS WINGS AND FLY, DAMMIT.
And so goes the Bellator career of welterweight champion Ben Askren, who was released into the murky waters of unrestricted free agency earlier today. A press release sent out this morning has the details:
Ben Askren is now an unrestricted free agent after Bellator released the undefeated welterweight. The Bellator Welterweight World Title will be vacant until Douglas Lima faces the winner of the Season 9 Welterweight Tournament later this winter when the new Bellator Welterweight Champion will be crowned.
“I’ve said it many times, Ben’s a completely one-dimensional fighter who is utterly dominant in that dimension,” (Ed note:BUUUUUURRRRNNNN?!) Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney said. “I had a number of discussions with Ben and it became clear it was time for both parties to move in different directions. We’ve relinquished any right to match here and Ben can sign with whoever he chooses to sign with. Ben’s been at Bellator since the start of his career, I respect him and what he’s accomplished and wish him the best wherever he goes.”
In all seriousness, it’s not *that* difficult to follow Bjorn’s line of logic here. For the past three years, Bellator’s welterweight division has been stuck in a state of purgatory, so to speak, hopelessly cycling between fighters that stood no chance of defeating their increasingly hard-to-watch champion. Bjorn & Co. have been hinting at Askren’s possible release for a little while now, and while we originally thought it was just an attempt to draw the UFC into a bidding war, it seems that, for once, Bellator has mutually ended a relationship with one of its fighters.
We will keep you updated as to any offers the UFC makes Askren (if they make him an offer, that is) as the information becomes available.
Bellator promotion officials announced Thursday that they had released two of the most famous fighters on their roster: welterweight Paul Daley and middleweight Maiquel Falcao. The move comes as both fighters face legal problems as a result of their actions away from the cage. The announcement Thursday that Bellator had dropped the hammer (h/t MMA Fighting) […]
Bellator promotion officials announced Thursday that they had released two of the most famous fighters on their roster: welterweight Paul Daley and middleweight Maiquel Falcao. The move comes as both fighters face legal problems as a result of their actions away from the cage. The announcement Thursday that Bellator had dropped the hammer (h/t MMA Fighting) […]
The third-ever World Series of Fighting card took place on Friday night, with Josh Burkman capping off the evening with a spectacular submission finish to put away former UFC welterweight title contender Jon Fitch. On Monday, the Nevada State Athletic …
The third-ever World Series of Fighting card took place on Friday night, with Josh Burkman capping off the evening with a spectacular submission finish to put away former UFC welterweight title contender Jon Fitch. On Monday, the Nevada State Athletic Commission released the figures for the payouts and salaries for World Series of Fighting 3, […]
If a fighter who’s never gone on a losing skid like Jon Fitch receives walking papers without ever experiencing a personal problem, then few in the UFC can claim the luxury of job security. A former welterweight title challenger, Fitch went 14-3-1 in nearly eight years with the UFC. In that span, Fitch, unlike many contracted UFC fighters, never got arrested, failed […]
If a fighter who’s never gone on a losing skid like Jon Fitch receives walking papers without ever experiencing a personal problem, then few in the UFC can claim the luxury of job security. A former welterweight title challenger, Fitch went 14-3-1 in nearly eight years with the UFC. In that span, Fitch, unlike many contracted UFC fighters, never got arrested, failed […]
