Little more than a week ago, then-UFC middleweight Deron Winn was looking forward to getting back in the cage, with a fight against Julian Marquez lined up for UFC Vegas 66.
Just days out from Christmas, however, Winn is both without a fight, and without a job.
Following what he referred to as a “freak accident” at the UFC PI which saw him faint and hit his head, Winn’s fight with Marquez was called off during Fight Week. That appears to have been enough to prompt the promotion to release Winn, a move first noted by UFC Roster Watch.
Winn, a teammate of Daniel Cormier, addressed his release shortly after the news broke.
In a video statement posted to social media, Winn stated that “So I think Tuesday I got a phone call from Hunter Campbell [UFC Chief Business Officer] and the UFC and I guess we decided to part ways. He just explained some things to me about my resume and my career that adds up, but I also said a few things to try to defend myself and I just feel like this wasn’t the reason to let me go. I think that they’ve had reasons in the past to let me go, but I just wish that I could’ve went out on my shield. I would’ve rather went out on a loss or even a boring win, than such an accidental, freak accident situation that happened to me at the [UFC] PI. They have it on camera. Their employees are the ones that took care of me, they withdrew me from the fight. It wasn’t me.”
“While I was at the hospital, they tried to put IVs in me,” Winn added, saying he tried to refuse the IV, as it would both potentially violate anti-doping rules, and put weight back on ahead of his weight cut. Winn then called UFC Chief Physician Jeffrey Davidson to explain the situation, only for the doctor to tell him that “due to liability reasons,” he wouldn’t be able to fight. Winn said he cooperated fully with the promotion, only to be released regardless.
“It’s kinda sh*tty. I feel sh*tty about it. I just wish it would’ve happened a different way. But with that being said, the UFC will never define me or who I am as a person or as a man. My legacy, I do believe it’s a highlight of my life and something that I did and just another dream that I accomplished. But in reality, UFC was never my childhood dream. It was more wrestling and traveling the world and trying to make the Olympic team and stuff like that. That was my original dream as a child. I’ve been competing since I was four years old. It’s all I really know.”
“I don’t think I’m done. I’m going to sit down with DC [Daniel Cormier] and others and see what my options are moving forward, I guess in this free agency time,” Winn stated, adding that he’s “definitely willing to fight” in the future.
