UFC Drops 16 Fighters

 

The UFC has dropped 16 fighters from its promotion, according to reports in various outlets. Confirmation came from Dana White, via MMA Fighting that the fighters had been let go on Tuesday, February 19. The fighters included some names that fans will likely know very well. Each of the fighters who was dropped lost the last fight they were in, and some had lost several of the last fights that they had been featured in.

 

Likely the biggest name that people will remember among the fighters who were let go from the UFC promotion was Jon Fitch, who was once a contender for the welterweight championship in the UFC. The full list includes:

 

• C.J. Keith
• Che Mills
• Jacob Volkmann
• Jay Hieron
• Jon Fitch
• Jorge Santiago
• Josh Grispi
• Mike Russow
• Mike Stumpf
• Motonobu Tezuka
• Paul Sass
• Simeon Thoresen
• Terry Etim
• Ulysses Gomez 
• Vladimir Matyushenko
• Wagner Prado

 

According to reports in multiple sources, letting Fitch go has caused quite a bit of ire among fans. Fitch hasn’t been in a fight since UFC 156, which he lost by a decision, but he has a large fan base due to his impressive performance prior to his losses over the previous couple of years.

 

Fitch’s dismissal has been racked up to him not being the most exciting fighter to watch, according to chatter on MMA fan forums. Many fans brought up the fact that Fitch was ranked number nine out of the top 10 welterweights in the UFC welterweight rankings and that, overall, his record stands at 14-3-1 in UFC and 24-5-1 across his total MMA career, certainly not an unimpressive performance. His last four fights, however, gave him a 1-2-1 record. Nonetheless, his victory over Erick Silva was a contender for Fight of the Night, according to MMA Weekly, and a lot of fans are surprised to see the welterweight being sent out of the promotion.

Jason MacDonald Retires from MMA

 

Sportsnet.ca announced on February 28 that Jason “The Athlete” MacDonald has decided to call it quits in his MMA career. The fighter is 37 years old and holds a career MMA record of 25-16. He has been fighting in the UFC promotion since 2006.

 

Career

 

MacDonald is known for his Brazilian jiu-jitsu skills. His last two fights were losses, mirrors of his performance when he first fought in the UFC and managed to defeat his first two opponents. The fighter was very well known as an excellent grappler and won both of his first matches via submissions. He was fighting in the middleweight division of the UFC.

 

MacDonald was a favorite of fans, particularly among the Canadian crowd, where he got his start fighting in promotions such as Punch and Crunch, Northern Lights Out and MFC.

 

In his first UFC fight in 2006, he managed to choke Ed Herman, who was predicted to win the fight, in the first round, getting him the win. He took Chris Leben in his next match, also via submission.

 

The last two fights that MacDonald participated in didn’t go well for the fighter. He got knocked out by Tom Lawlor in the first round of their UFC 129 match up in 2011. Prior to that, he got submitted by punches by Alan Belcher in 2001. His final fights in the UFC were also marred by an injury he sustained during training that took him out of UFC 124, where he was supposed to fight Rafael Natal.

 

Future

 

MacDonald owns a gym in Alberta, Canada, that gives instruction in MMA and he is a CrossFit trainer. He is also the owner of the Pure Fighting Championship, which has a page located at PureFighting.ca. He currently appears on the SportsNet.Ca site as one of their weekly bloggers.