As 2019 winds down, the UFC has been trimming its roster. A dozen fighters have been released from their contracts in recent weeks, MMA Junkie has learned.
The following fighters have been cut. Each fighter listed has announced the release, or a member of his or her team has informed MMA Junkie of the news. The order in which they appear is alphabetical, not chronological.
Danilo Belluardo | Lightweight (12-5 MMA, 0-2 UFC)
Italy’s Danilo Belluardo was released from his contract following back-to-back losses in the UFC. In his promotional debut, Belluardo lost to Spain’s Joel Alvarez by second-round stoppage due to ground-and-pound. For his second appearance, Belluardo walked into enemy territory in Copenhagen to take on hometown hero Mark O. Madsen. The former Olympic medalist Madsen finished Belluardo by strikes in 72 seconds.
Manny Bermudez | Featherweight (14-2 MMA, 3-2 UFC)
Once considered one of the best bantamweight prospects on the U.S. regional scene, Manny Bermudez’s weight struggles became a problem. He kicked off his UFC career at 3-0. But after missing weight at 135 pounds, Bermudez lost to Casey Kenney. He followed up the mishap with another. He moved up to featherweight, yet missed weight again for UFC on ESPN 6 in Boston in October. Against Charles Rosa, Bermudez was submitted in the first round.
Henry Briones | Bantamweight (16-8-1 MMA, 1-4 UFC)
A five-fight UFC veteran, Mexico’s Henry Briones was known for his do-or-die style and willingness to strike. A member of the UFC roster since 2014, Briones picked up his lone victory with the promotion in his debut when he choked out Guido Cannetti. Four straight losses to Cody Garbrandt, Douglas Silva d’Andrade, Rob Font, and Frankie Saenz earned him his UFC pink slip. (First reported by The Athletic)
Thomas Gifford | Lightweight (17-9 MMA, 0-2 UFC)
Thomas Gifford was a member of the UFC roster only since April, but two losses were enough for the UFC to redirect his trajectory. After he lost a three-round unanimous decision to Roosevelt Roberts in his April debut, Gifford was brutally knocked out by Mike Davis in October.
Nohelin Hernandez | Bantamweight (9-4 MMA, 0-2 UFC)
A former competitor in LFA, Noehlin Hernandez made his UFC debut on short notice in July at UFC 239. Taking on a tough test in Marlon Vera, California’s Hernandez proved he was a gamer. In his sophomore UFC outing in September, Hernandez was submitted by highly touted debutant Jack Shore. Two losses in two-and-a-half months was all the UFC needed to see.
More Fighter cuts on the next page:
Yoshinori Horie | Featherweight (8-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC)
It was one-and-done in the UFC for Japan’s Yoshinori Horie. A staple of Japanese promotion Pancrase, Horie made his promotional debut at UFC 240 in July. Horie was brutally TKO’d by Canadian up-and-comer Hakeem Dawodu in the final minute of their three-round bout.
Derrick Krantz | Welterweight (24-12 MMA, 0-2 UFC)
It took Derrick Krantz 34 fights to make it to the UFC, but in May 2019 he did just that. Taking on welterweight contender Vicente Luque in on just days’ notice, Krantz was a major underdog. In the opening minutes, however, Krantz tagged Luque with heavy shots. Luque rallied to pick up a first-round TKO. In his second UFC fight, Krantz lost a razor-thin decision to Song Kenan.
Curtis Millender | Welterweight (17-5 MMA, 3-2 UFC)
Presumably one of the more surprising cuts of the bunch, Curtis Millender entered the UFC with a head full of steam. Over the span of his first three UFC outings, Millender defeated Thiago Alves, Max Griffin, and Siyar Bahadurzada. Back-to-back defeats suffered at the hands of Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos and Belal Muhammad led to the UFC’s decision to cut the 31-year-old.
Azamat Murzakanov | Heavyweight (7-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC)
Azamat Murzakanov’s UFC tenure came to an end before it began. The New Jersey-based Russian heavyweight was scheduled to take on Joachim Christensen in June 2017. However, Murzakanov was flagged by USADA and handed a two-year suspension. It didn’t take Murzakanov long to find a new home, however. He’ll take on Guto Inocente in the first round of a one-night, four-man openweight tournament at Brave CF 29 on Nov. 14.
More Fighter cuts on the next page:
Andre Soukhamthath | Bantamweight (13-8 MMA, 2-5 UFC)
A staple of the New England regional scene, Andre Soukhamthath made his promotional debut in March 2017. That night, he lost to Albert Morales by split decision. Following his debut, Soukhamthath lost to Alejandro Perez also by split decision. A TKO victory over Luke Sanders earned him a high-profile fight against Sean O’Malley, which he lost by unanimous decision. In his next outing, Soukhamthath got back in the win column when he defeated Jonathan Martinez by unanimous decision. Back-to-back losses to Montel Jackson and Su Madaerji marked the end of his UFC tenure.
Maia Stevenson | Women’s strawweight (6-5 MMA, 0-1 UFC)
Maia Stevenson only had one UFC fight before she was cut. The California resident participated on “The Ultimate Fighter: 26” when she was defeated by eventual tournament winner Sijara Eubanks. At UFC Fight Night 125 in February 2018, Stevenson dropped her UFC debut to Polyana Viana by first-round submission. Stevenson is scheduled to compete on BKFC 6 on Nov. 16 against Helen Peralta.
Kyle Stewart | Welterweight (11-3 MMA, 0-2 UFC)
A veteran of the United States Marine Corps, Kyle Stewart earned his UFC shot after competing for LFA and “Dana White’s Contender Series”. In his debut in January, Stewart was submitted by Chance Rencountre. In his second UFC fight, Stewart was out-grappled by kickboxer Erik Koch for the majority of their three-round bout at UFC 240 in July.
