The UFC has opted not to re-sign a half-dozen fighters who recently completed their contracts with the organization.
First noted by UFC Roster Watch, an automated service that monitors changes to the promotion’s fighter database, Makwan Amirkhani, Danaa Batgerel, Tony Gravely, Trevin Jones, Omar Morales, and Ilir Latifi have all been removed from the company’s roster.
An additional report by MMA Fighting notes that in all cases, the fighters in question completed their contracts and were not re-signed by the promotion. That does not, obviously, preclude them from signing with the company again in future.
Latifi (16-9, 1NC), a teammate of Swedish standout Alexander Gustafsson, moved to heavyweight in 2020 for the first of four fights in the division under the UFC banner. He posted a 2-2 record in that stretch, and was coming off a split decision loss to Rodrigo Nascimento.
“The Sledgehammer” had flirted with retirement in recent years.
Amirkhani (17-9), a.k.a. “Mr. Finland,” joined the UFC in 2015, but was 1-5 in his last six fights in the promotion. Jones (13-10, 1NC) was on an 0-4 run, most recently stepping up against former bantamweight champ Cody Garbrandt on short notice at UFC 285.
Danaa Batgerel was in a similar situation, on a three-fight losing streak. Omar Morales had also lost three straight, while Gravely, a former CES MMA champ, had lost two, and was 2-2 in his last four fights.
