The UFC roster has been officially trimmed by 11 fighters.
With a whopping 55 fighters signed in the months of September and October combined, the UFC has parted ways with nearly a dozen fighters in recent days including a former women’s flyweight title challenger.
Algorithm-based Twitter account UFC Roster Tracker first published the transactions when the promotion removed the fighters from official rankings eligibility.
Check out the recent batch of UFC departures below. The means of each fighter’s departure (release, end of contract, etc.) is not known, unless denoted otherwise.
JP Buys
Age: 27
Record: 9-6
UFC record: 0-4
Weight class: Flyweight
JP Buys entered the UFC following a controversial submission win in his second Dana White’s Contender Series opportunity in 2020. The victory remains his most recent to date, as Buys was defeated by Bruno Silva, Montel Jackson, Cody Durden, and Marcus McGhee prior to his departure.
Buys confirmed his UFC departure on social media following UFC Roster Tracker’s tweet.
Jake Collier
Age: 35
Record: 13-10
UFC record: 5-9
Weight class: Heavyweight
The second-longest-tenured fighter of the bunch of departures, Jake Collier competed 14 times for the promotion in three weight classes from the time of his promotional debut in December 2014. After a 2-2 start at middleweight, Collier moved to light heavyweight in 2017 and went 1-1 there. After a three-plus-year hiatus, Collier returned as a heavyweight in 2020. He defeated Gian Villante and Chase Sherman, but five losses in eight fights at heavyweight ultimately led to his release – though a split decision defeat to Andrei Arlovski in April 2022 was considered widely controversial.
A person with knowledge of the situation confirmed to MMA Junkie that Collier was not re-signed by the UFC following a tweet by UFC Roster Tracker.
Carl Deaton
Age: 33
Record: 17-7
UFC record: 0-2
Weight class: Lightweight
It was a two-and-out for longtime MMA veteran Carl Deaton in the UFC. Following a short-notice promotional debut loss by submission to Joe Solecki in February, Deaton dropped a unanimous decision in July against Alex Munoz.
A report by MMA Fighting confirmed Deaton’s departure following a tweet from UFC Roster Tracker tweet.
Andre Fialho
Age: 29
Record: 16-8
UFC record: 2-5
Weight class: Welterweight
Andre Fialho competed seven times in the UFC from January 2022 to September 2023 and provided a lot of action in a short amount of time. Six of his seven bouts ended inside the distance. He won back-to-back fights against Miguel Baeza and Cameron VanCamp by knockout in 2022. Four straight knockout defeats led to his UFC exit, however.
A report by MMA Fighting confirmed Fialho’s departure following a tweet from UFC Roster Tracker tweet.
A.J. Fletcher
Age: 26
Record: 10-3
UFC record: 1-3
Weight class: Welterweight
A.J. Fletcher signed with the UFC in 2021 after a first-round flying knee knockout of Leonardo Damiani. Following back-to-back losses to Matthew Semelsberger and Ange Loosa, Fletcher picked up his first promotional win: a second-round submission of Themba Gorimbo. In September, Fletcher was submitted by Bryan Battle and subsequently parted ways with the promotion.
A person with knowledge of the situation confirmed to MMA Junkie that Fletcher departed the UFC following a tweet by UFC Roster Tracker.
Hannah Goldy
Age: 31
Record: 6-4
UFC record: 1-4
Weight class: Strawweight
From her promotional debut in August 2019, Hannah Goldy competed five times in the UFC. Of the appearances, her lone win came in her September 2021 bout vs. Emily Whitmire, who she submitted by first-round armbar. Goldy departs the UFC on a two-fight skid that consists of a knockout defeat to Molly McCann and a unanimous decision loss to Mizuki Inoue.
A report by MMA Fighting confirmed Goldy’s departure following a tweet from UFC Roster Tracker tweet.
Kamuela Kirk
Age: 29
Record: 11-6
UFC record: 1-2
Weight class: Lightweight
Kamuela Kirk burst into the international spotlight in June 2021 when he dominated longtime UFC veteran Makwan Amirkhani in his short-notice promotional debut. The win was the only in three appearances, however, as he lost back-to-back fights to Damon Jackson and Esteban Ribovics.
Kirk was first to announce his UFC release in an Instagram post in August.
Tucker Lutz
Age: 29
Record: 12-4
UFC record: 1-3
Weight class: Featherweight
Tucker Lutz won 12 straight fights in a row, including a UFC-contract-earning decision win over Sherrard Blackledge, and a successful promotional debut decision over Kevin Aguilar. However, a three-fight skid was kicked off in his sophomore UFC appearance as he lost to Pat Sabatini, then Daniel Pineda and Melsik Baghdasaryan.
A person with knowledge of the situation confirmed to MMA Junkie that Lutz departed the UFC following a tweet by UFC Roster Tracker.
Jennifer Maia
Age: 35
Record: 21-10-1
UFC record: 6-6
Weight class: Flyweight
Former UFC women’s title challenger Jennifer Maia will not re-up with the promotion. One day after her Oct. 14 unanimous decision loss to Viviane Araujo, Maia was informed the promotion would go in a different direction. The loss to Araujo was the only in her most recent three fights. Maia joined the UFC roster in July 2018. Her most prolific moment was a UFC 255 title challenge vs. Valentina Shevchenko. Maia won the first round against Shevchenko, a rare feat at the time, but ultimately lost a unanimous decision. Other wins in the promotion included Alexis Davis, Roxanne Modafferi, Joanne Wood, Jessica Eye, Maryna Moroz, and Casey O’Neill.
A person with knowledge of the situation confirmed to MMA Junkie that Maia was not re-signed by the UFC following a tweet by UFC Roster Tracker.
John Makdessi
Age: 38
Record: 18-9
UFC record: 11-9
Weight class: Lightweight
For nearly 13 years, John Makdessi was a part of the UFC lightweight roster. From his flashy debut vs. Pat Audinwood to his ridiculous spinning backfist knockout vs. Kyle Watson, to his classic vs. Ross Pearson, Makdessi often brought violence and excitement each time he stepped into the cage. He exits the promotion on a two-fight skid, including most recently, a unanimous decision loss to Jamie Mullarkey at UFC 293. The defeat was debated by viewers, who disagreed amongst themselves as to who should’ve gotten the nod.
A report by MMA Fighting confirmed Makdessi’s departure following a tweet from UFC Roster Tracker tweet.
Shane Young
Age: 30
Record: 13-8
UFC record: 2-5
Weight class: Featherweight
After four straight losses and a weight miss, Shane Young is no longer on the UFC roster. A City Kickboxing staple, Young debuted in the UFC on short notice vs. Alexander Volkanovski. Though he lost a unanimous decision, the spirited and competitive bout gained him street cred. He won back-to-back fights over Rolando Dy and Austin Arnett before defeats to Ludovit Klein, Omar Morales, Blake Bilder, and most recently, Gabriel Miranda at UFC 293. Young weighed 3.8 pounds over the limit for the featherweight bout.
A report by MMA Fighting confirmed Young’s departure following a tweet from UFC Roster Tracker tweet.
