A pair of botched weight cuts back-to-back, in two different weight classes, have brought about the end of Bryan Battle’s run with the UFC.
Battle (12-2, 1NC) went an impressive 7-1, 1NC in the UFC after winning The Ultimate Fighter 29 as a middleweight in 2021. However, a drop to welterweight, while successful in terms of results, saw him miss weight for a fight with Gabriel Green in 2023.
In December of last year, Battle missed the mark again, coming in four pounds heavy for a welterweight bout with Randy Brown. He would, once again, win the bout, though it facilitated a move back to 185lbs.
At UFC 319 this past Saturday, Battle returned to the middleweight division for his fight with Nursulton Ruziboev, coming in at a whopping 190lbs. The fight was ultimately cancelled.
Now, Battle’s UFC deal has been as well. Battle has been released by the promotion, in a move first reported by MMA Fighting. While not unheard of, being cut by the UFC for missing weight is rare, especially when it comes to a fighter with a winning record. Not to mention a TUF champ.
Battle sits on a four-fight win streak with a No Contest against Ange Loosa also transpiring during a stretch that dates back to May 2023, when he fought Green.
