UFC President Dana White recently divulged that he plans on culling 60 fighters from the promotion’s ever-expanding roster.
White dropped this information not long after it was revealed the former UFC middleweight title challenger Yoel Romero had been released from his contract with the promotion.
Dana White on Yoel Romero’s release: “We’re gonna go through some serious cuts here at the end of the year. Probably gonna have 60 cuts coming up before the first of the year. Yoel has lost four out of his last five. He’s over 40 years old.”
— Marc Raimondi (@marc_raimondi) December 6, 2020
“We’re gonna go through some serious cuts here at the end of the year,” White said (via ESPN’s Marc Raimondi). “Probably gonna have 60 cuts coming up before the first of the year. Yoel has lost four out of his last five. He’s over 40 years old.”
In an unsurprising twist, this comment from White generated some interesting reactions from professional fighters. See some of the initial reaction’s to the UFC boss’s plan to downsize below.
Is @003_OSP one of the 60 fighters @danawhite is talking about? || @WeighingIn with @JohnMcCarthyMMA and I talk his performance || Listen here: https://t.co/qzWdNX9pCj pic.twitter.com/KvRaKNlfcY
— Josh Thomson (@THEREALPUNK) December 7, 2020
Hope the 60 guys getting cut, have been smart about money and make the right decision on the next chapter 🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾
— GILBERT BURNS DURINHO (@GilbertDurinho) December 7, 2020
In life, nothing lasts forever, and it’s usually over before you agreed to it. https://t.co/jizLvH7Gbo
— Din Thomas (@DinThomas) December 7, 2020
🤔🤔🤔 think https://t.co/rwE5zj3uCK
— malki kawa (@malkikawa) December 6, 2020
While it’s unfortunate that so many fighters are about to lose their jobs, this news is not particularly surprising. White has made no secret of the fact that, as new fighters continue to be signed by the UFC—particularly through Contender Series—cuts will have to be made to keep the UFC roster at a manageable size.
“It’s all a numbers game,” White said over the summer. “We have to give everybody three fights a year, so you can only have so many people under contract.
“Every once in awhile, you’ll see a huge cut,” White added. “That’s the nature of the beast.”
Which fighters do you think Dana White will bounce from the UFC roster?