7 UFC Fighters on the Brink of Being Cut
Over the course of the past month, UFC leaders have cut ties with a raft of fighters. There's no indication that won't continue unabated.
Although there were no big shockers among the casualties, middleweight Nick Ring, bantamweight Johnny Bedford and featherweight Tom Niinimaki are some of those now left to fight for their keep in another promotion (or line of work).
All in, the UFC released more than a dozen fighters, but that doesn't mean the bloodletting is over. It never is. With so many events and competitors involved, there's a constant churn of winning and losing, meaning the roster is always in flux.
You know what that means: time to speculate. Here are seven fighters currently under UFC contract who might not be so for much longer. Rankings are first based on recent performance in the cage (three consecutive losses is a common threshold for release). Performance and pay also are factors, as is the depth of a given division.
Let's get it on.
7. Stanislav Nedkov
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Saved by the drug test.
It would be three straight losses for Stanislav Nedkov if it wasn't for the scorching hot urine of one Thiago Silva, who burned down the urinal (again) after the two light heavyweights fought at UFC on Fuel TV 6 back in 2012.
This is just another example of Silva performing an important public service. Because of that failed test, we now get to see Nedkov for, I don't know, maybe one more fight? It's great stuff, is what it is.
6. Patrick Walsh
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Just this past Saturday at UFC Fight Night 60, Patrick Walsh hit the Trifecta of Things That You Really Shouldn't Do If You Want to Stay Under Contract With the UFC.
First, he missed weight by six-and-a-half pounds. So the bout, originally set for middleweight, took place at a catchweight of 191.5 pounds. As a result of his tomfoolishness, Walsh surrendered 20 percent of his purse to opponent Dan Kelly.
You know what else Walsh surrendered? Dignity. Over 15 I'm-never-going-to-get-these-minutes-back sort of minutes, Kelly and Walsh traded things that might have resembled punches, if only they had been thrown in the lemur enclosure down at the zoo. Walsh inexplicably smirked through the whole thing like he was prime Forrest Griffin.
The split decision went to Kelly. So let's recap: Walsh missed weight by a lot, lost, and lost in highly unexciting fashion. It was nice knowing you, Patrick Walsh.
5. Andrew Craig
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Andrew Craig is an exciting fighter. Sometimes.
But the notion that he's Chris Leben 2.0—at least the version of that notion that serves as a compliment—has been dispelled as of late. The last time he won, it was to Leben himself in an uninspiring decision win at UFC 162. Losses to Luke Barnatt and Cezar "Mutante" Ferreira followed.
A well-rounded skill set Craig does not have. How's that for some Yoda speak?
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4. Andy Ogle
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Andy Ogle has lost four in a row. In fact, since joining the UFC in September 2012, Ogle has gone a very not very good 1-5, with his most recent win coming two full years ago. His most recent defeat, on the other hand, was a little more recent, and it didn't take long. Remember that eight-second knockout last month that made Makwan Amirkhani sort of an overnight Twitter sensation? Yeah, the other guy was Ogle.
So how did he make it through this last round of cuts? Over in the United Kingdom, Craig Johns from The Chronicle thinks he has the answer:
"Despite the calls of some on social media, it would appear that Ogle has survived the latest cut and therefore could be in line to appear on the UFC’s show in Glasgow in July, which was announced prior to Saturday’s event in Sweden.
With a host of British talent likely to be on the promotion's first-ever Scotland show on July 18, Ogle has a good shot at being on the card, which would be his first fight in the UK since October 2013.
"
Was the Brit saved by his nationality? Who knows? This seems like a pretty good theory, but even if true, Ogle's hanging by a thread.
3. Hatsu Hioki
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Hatsu Hioki came to the UFC behind a good deal of hype. At only age 27, he was 24-4-2 and a featherweight champion in three promotions (Shooto, Sengoku and TKO).
But he vacated it all for the UFC. He won his first two fights there, albeit by lackluster, grind-it-out decisions. If you're going to win that way, you pretty much have to not lose.
But that wasn't the case for Hioki. After those first two wins, his fortunes changed; he has dropped four of his last five, and most of them have not been what you might call pretty.
It's important for business that the UFC have a strong presence in Japan. There's nothing suggesting, at least any longer, that Hioki has to be part of those plans.
2. Danny Castillo
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Danny Castillo has a couple things going for him here. First, he hasn't unlocked the dark magic that is three consecutive losses. Second, he's a member of Team Alpha Male. They have a little clout around these parts.
But there's some writing on the wall, too. Outside of that knockout of Charlie Brenneman last April, it's been years since Castillo put on a performance that stands out in memory. And three of the four performances during that time were losses. Most recently, he couldn't beat Paul Felder, losing by second-round knockout.
That's not what you want.
1. Dan Henderson
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Dan Henderson is becoming the Dr. Jack Hanna of these sorts of articles. Not because he can't or shouldn't define the terms by which he will ultimately depart from competition, but because the diminishing returns on his fights are as clear as day to anyone who objectively watches them.
But forget the truisms; let's pretend for a second that we're hard, cold businessmen. He's 44 years old. He has lost two straight and five of his last six, looking less athletic and more chinny all along the way.
And the fact is, the guy isn't cheap. That TKO loss to Gegard Mousasi at UFC on Fox 14, the one that happened in 70 seconds? Yeah, he got $100,000 for that. Pretty freaking rich compared with other UFC fighters. Anthony Johnson, who knocked out Alexander Gustafsson in the main event of that very same card, earned only a reported $156,000. Top prospect Mirsad Bektic, who dominated his undercard fight, earned a reported $21,600.
So it's hard to see where the ROI is. He could be a great asset for Bellator if the UFC wanted to let him go. And it's just speculation, but I don't see why any party involved would mind that action at all.
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