Massive UFC Roster Shake-Up Impacts 35 Fighters In 35 Days
The following fighters have been removed from the roster for one reason or another between February 19 and March 25.
Some have been released; others simply weren't re-signed when their contracts lapsed. In addition to the fighters' names, I've also listed notable wins, losses, or other situations specific to them.
Bill Algeo
Announced his retirement.
Warlley Alves
Released or contract ended. Currently on a four-fight losing streak and 14-8 overall.
Dylan Budka
Released or contract not renewed. Currently on a three-fight losing streak and 7-5 overall.
Joe Solecki
Announced his retirement.
Julia Avila
Announced her retirement.
Mashrabjon Ruzibaev
Released before he made his debut after a weight-cut issue.
Julio Arce
Released. Arce last fought in March 2024 when he knocked out Herbert Burns. However, he missed weight, which was the second time in his last three fights that he missed weight.
Josh Culibao
Released or contract not renewed. Currently on a three-fight losing streak with an 11-4-1 overall record.
Taylor Lapilus
Contract ended. He's won two in a row and three of his last four. Most recent win was a unanimous decision victory over Vince Morales in September 2024. Arguably one of the toughest departures to grasp during this stretch.
Jonathan Pearce
Released or contract not renewed. Currently on a three-fight losing streak and finished in two of those losses. Pearce has a 14-7 record overall.
Cody Stamann
Released or contract not renewed. Currently on a three-fight losing streak. Long-time contender with a 21-8-1 record overall.
Matthew Semelsberger
Released. Currently on a four-fight losing streak with an 11-8 overall record.
Natan Levy
Released. Massively inactive with just one fight since December 2022. Lost his last fight and missed weight in March 2024. Levy has an 8-2 overall record.
Roosevelt Roberts
Released or contract not renewed. Veteran of the Dana White Contender Series with an up-and-down MMA career. Currently on a three-fight losing streak. Roberts has a 12-5 overall record.
Julian Marquez
Released or contract not renewed. Currently on a four-fight losing streak with every loss coming by KO. Marquez has a 9-6 overall record.
Andrea Lee
Released or contract not renewed. Set record for most consecutive losses by a female in the UFC with six. The latest was a unanimous decision defeat to JJ Aldrich on March 1. Lee has a 13-11 overall record, but she has never been finished in her UFC career.
Landon Quinones
Released. Ultimate Fighter veteran hasn't fought since February 2024 and is currently on a two-fight losing streak. Quinones has a 7-3-1 record.
Armen Petrosyan
Released or contract not renewed. Petrosyan is on a three-fight losing streak, and he's been finished in every fight. He has an 8-5 overall record.
Marcos Rogerio de Lima
Released. He won his last fight and three of his last four. However, he was just suspended for two years after he tested positive for a banned substance for the second time. At 39, he might be done. He has a 22-9-1 record overall.
Jalin Turner
Retired. Turner retired in the Octagon following his submission loss to Ignacio Bahamondes at UFC 313. He's lost two in a row and four of his last five. He ends with a 14-9 overall record.
So Yul Kim
Released. Kim never fought for the UFC as there were complications with her previous promotion. She scored a first-round submission win over Qingping Tang on March 22 with AFC. Kim is 9-1 as a professional.
Montana De La Rosa
Released or contract not renewed. De La Rosa snapped a four-fight losing streak with a split decision win over Lee in June 2024. She was scheduled to fight Luana Carolina on March 1, but the latter had weight complications and couldn't fight. De La Rosa was removed from the roster 19 days after the event.
This group of fighters have been added to the roster. Along with their names, I've listed the results of their first fight with the UFC or the scheduled date for their promotional debut.
Nick Klein
DWCS standout from Season 8. He made his main roster debut on February 22 when he stepped in as a late replacement for Andre Tricoli to face Mansur Abdul-Malik. He hurt the heavily favored Abdul-Malik in the first round before he was overcome and stopped in the second. Klein is 6-2.
Mario Pinto
DWCS standout from Season 8. Pinto remained undefeated as he destroyed Austen Lane with a second-round KO on March 1 to move to 10-0. He earned a Performance of the Night bonus for his win.
Patricio Freire
Bellator legend and major free-agent acquisition for the UFC. Pitbull will make his promotional debut on April 12 at UFC 314 when he faces Yair Rodriguez.
Rizvan Kuniev
Kuniev is another DWCS standout from Season 8. He has had his fight with Curtis Blaydes scheduled and rescheduled three times. As it is, his main roster debut is set for May 17 against Blaydes. Kuniev is 13-2 as a pro.
Yuneisy Duben
After scoring a memorable one-punch KO win to earn her ticket to the UFC's main roster, Duben was on the receiving end of a highlight-reel finish in her debut. On March 15, Carli Judice scored a head-kick KO win over Duben to send her to 6-1 as a pro.
AJ Cunningham
It's been a back-and-forth situation for Cunningham with the UFC. He has been a late replacement with the organization twice and lost both times. Most recently, he lost a unanimous decision to Su Young You on March 15 to fall to 11-5. Three of his five losses have come in the UFC or on the Contender Series.
Josias Musasa
Musasa inched his way onto the UFC's main roster following a controversial split-decision win over Otari Tanzilovi on the DWCS in September 2024. In Musasa's main roster debut—after missing weight—he was submitted in the first round by Carlos Vera on March 15 to fall to 8-1 as a pro.
Diyar Nurgozhay
After missing weight by a whopping 4.5 pounds for his main roster debut, the previously undefeated Nurgozhay was submitted via kimura on March 15 by Brendson Ribeiro.
Kevin Vallejos
Easily one of the brightest young stars in the UFC. The 23-year-old was a massive standout on DWCS Season 8, and he delivered with a huge first-round KO win over Seung Woo Choi in his main roster debut on March 15. Vallejos is 15-1 as a pro.
Andrey Pulyaev
Pulyaev was slammed by fans following a lackluster performance in his main roster debut against Christian Leroy Duncan on March 22 in London. Pulyaev fell to 9-3 and didn't earn tons of supporters behind his less-than-thrilling fighting style.
Alexia Thainara
Thainara won a unanimous decision on DWCS in September 2024 over Rose Conceicao and followed that up with a first-round submission win over Molly McCann on March 22 in London. McCann retired in the Octagon, so I'd expect her name will be removed from the roster soon.
Ateba Gautier
A promising 22-year-old prospect from Cameroon, Gautier makes his main roster debut on March 29 in Mexico City against Jose Medina. Gautier earned his opportunity with a second-round TKO win over Yura Naito on DWCS in September 2024.
David Martinez
Martinez is another DWCS standout who earned his spot on Season 8. In October, he won a unanimous decision over Xavier Franklin. Martinez makes his main roster debut against Saimon Oliveira in Mexico City on March 29.
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