As the first quarter of 2020 progresses, the UFC has trimmed its roster. At least eight fighters have been released from their contracts or not re-signed, MMA Junkie has learned.
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.
The exact time frames and terms of the releases (i.e. end of contract vs. severance) were not disclosed to MMA Junkie.
Junior Albini | Heavyweight (14-6 MMA, 1-4 UFC)
Nicknamed “Baby,” Junior Albini made quite the impression in his UFC debut in July 2016. Fresh off the Brazilian regional scene, Albini was an unknown to most North American viewers. In his promotional debut, it only took the big man 135 seconds to dismantle Timothy Johnson. His win in his UFC debut would be his last, however. Albini dropped four straight fights to Andrei Arlovski, Aleksei Oleinik, Jairzinho Rozenstruik, and Maurice Greene. He was subsequently cut from the promotion and has since signed with Serbian promotion SBC.
Nathan Coy | Welterweight (15-7 MMA, 1-2 UFC)
It took Nathan Coy 24 professional fights and a stint on season 21 of The Ultimate Fighter to earn a crack at UFC notoriety. Debuting as a pro fighter in 2007, Coy’s road to the UFC wasn’t the quickest or easiest. He competed practically everywhere, from Strikeforce to Bellator to a plethora of regional promotions. After serving as one of the leaders of Team ATT on TUF 21, Coy made his UFC debut at the TUF 21 Finale. He lost to Danny Roberts that night. He picked up his elusive first UFC victory against Jonavin Webb in June 2016. Coy appeared once more in April 2017 and was submitted by Zak Cummings. After the loss, Coy walked away from MMA to pursue other endeavors – but he elected never to make a public announcement.
More roster updates on the next page:
Brandon Davis | Bantamweight (10-8 MMA, 2-5 UFC)
One of the first signees of Dana White’s Contender Series, Brandon Davis punched his ticket by defeating future-UFC featherweight Austin Arnett in an all-out war. The win set the tone for Davis’ UFC career: back-and-forth action. In January 2018, Davis dropped his UFC debut to Kyle Bochniak. He’d compete three more times in 2018, including a “Fight of the Night” win over Steven Peterson and a short-notice loss to Zabit Magomedsharipov. At bantamweight, Davis would win one more in the UFC against Randy Costa. Back-to-back losses to Kyung Ho Kang and Giga Chikadze led to his UFC departure.
Kalindra Faria | Flyweight (18-8-1 MMA, 0-3 UFC)
The then-Titan FC women’s bantamweight champ, Kalindra Faria made her first UFC appearance in October 2017. In her promotional debut, Faria was submitted by Mara Romero Borella in under three minutes. Her sophomore UFC fight was closer but ultimately ended in another loss. Faria was edged in a close split decision defeat to Jessica Eye. Faria’s final UFC bout came at UFC Fight Night 135 in August 2018, when she was submitted in Round 1 by Joanne Calderwood. Faria recently signed with Brazilian promotion SFT.
Grigorii Popov | Bantamweight (13-3 MMA, 0-2 UFC)
If Grigorii Popov proved one thing in his two-fight UFC tenure, it was that he’s one tough Russian. Popov made his UFC debut at age 35. While he was unusually old for a UFC newcomer, he proved he could compete against UFC talent. In his promotional debut, Popov was finished by strikes in Round 2 by former UFC title challenger Eddie Wineland. In his sophomore promotional outing at UFC on ESPN+ 21 in November 2019, Popov lost a split decision to Davey Grant. The back-to-back defeats landed him on the UFC chopping block.
More roster updates on the next page:
Ben Saunders | Welterweight (22-13-2 MMA, 10-10 UFC)
The veteran name of the bunch, Ben Saunders rounds out his third UFC stint – bringing him up to a grand total of 20 promotional fights. A fan-favorite through and through, Saunders became known as a do-or-die fighter who seldom went the distance – in his 20 UFC fights, he only saw the scorecards five times. From his first UFC fight in 2007 to his most recent vs. Matt Brown at UFC 245 in December 2019, Saunders faced a who’s who of the welterweight division. His UFC opponents included Jon Fitch, Mike Swick, Marcus Davis, Patrick Cote, Lyman Good, Jake Ellenberger, and more. Saunders was finished in six of seven fights, leading to his UFC release.
Jin Soo Son | Bantamweight (9-4 MMA, 0-2 UFC)
Jin Soo Son was only in the UFC for a short time, but it was fun while it lasted. After Douglas Silva de Andrade pulled out of his UFC Fight Night 136 fight against Petr Yan, Son stepped up as a short-notice replacement. Despite being the proverbial lamb in the eyes of many, Son held his own against one of the division’s future stars. His toughness that evening proved there might, in fact, be a second “Korean Zombie” in MMA. In his second UFC fight, Son continued radiating excitement. His back-and-forth brawl with Mario Bautista earned UFC on ESPN 4 “Fight of the Night” honors. Two losses were enough for the UFC to decide to let him go.
Daniel Spitz | Heavyweight (6-3 MMA, 1-3 UFC)
Aptly nicknamed “Daddy Long Legs,” Daniel Spitz provided a unique matchup for any heavyweight he stepped in the cage with. The 6’7″, 240-pounder fought four times in the UFC from March 2017 to October 2019. After losing to Mark Godbeer in his UFC debut, Spitz picked up the lone victory of his UFC career when he knocked out Anthony Hamilton in 24 seconds at UFC Fight Night 116. After a TKO loss to Walt Harris and a unanimous decision defeat to Tanner Boser in October 2019, Spitz decided to walk away from MMA.
