The UFC has released seven fighters, including heavyweight Robelis Despaigne and top-ranked flyweight Matheus Nicolau, along with Jessica Penne, Tamires Vidal, Vinicius Salvador, Charalampos Grigoriou, and Jesse Butler.
The UFC has recently cut ties with seven fighters. Notable names include heavyweight Robelis Despaigne and top flyweight Matheus Nicolau.
Sources informed MMA Fighting about the release of Jessica Penne, Tamires Vidal, Vinicius Salvador, Charalampos Grigoriou, and Jesse Butler. Quite a shake-up!
Oh, and guess what? Twitter user Roster Watch was first to break the news. Always on top of things.
Despaigne (5-2) entered the UFC with a bang—four straight first-round KOs! His debut saw him shock Josh Parisian in just 18 seconds. But then… not so great. Losses followed against Waldo Cortes-Acosta and Austen Lane.
Nicolau (19-5-1), despite recent setbacks, remains in the top 10 flyweights. He’s faced tough opponents like Brandon Royval, Alex Perez, and Asu Almabayev. Yet, he’s got wins over Manel Kape and Matt Schnell under his belt.
Jessica Penne (14-8) once fought for the strawweight title against Joanna Jedrzejczyk but lost in round three. At 41, she exits with a UFC record of 3-6. A veteran’s journey!
Butler (12-6) did well regionally but struggled in the UFC since joining in 2023—losing to Jim Miller and Brad Katona. Meanwhile, Vidal (7-4) ended her stint at 1-3, faltering against Melissa Gatto and Joselyne Edwards.
Salvador (14-7) couldn’t clinch a win in his three UFC bouts, including a quick knockout by Adrian Yanez in May. Grigoriou (8-5) also faced back-to-back losses to Chad Anheliger and Toshiomi Kazama by 2024’s end.