On Tuesday, automated service UFC Roster Watch noted the removal of multiple fighters from the promotion’s athlete database. Among them, longtime Canadian standout John Makdessi, who recently dropped a decision many saw as a robbery.

The full list of fighters let go (which could include releases or contracts simply not renewed) to date is as follows:

• JP Buys
• Carl Deaton
• Andre Fialho
• AJ Fletcher
• Kamuela Kirk
• Tucker Lutz
• John Makdessi
• Shane Young

Additionally, both Hannah Goldy and Jake Collier were removed from the roster earlier this month.

Buys confirmed his exit from the promotion on social media, writing a brief message on his Instagram Story. “Thank you and so long UFC. It’s never been easy for me but at the time I gave it all I had.”

Carl Deaton also confirmed his removal from the roster, thanking fans and adding “I’m in a new ring.” There’s no confirmation as to where Deaton has landed just yet.

Makdessi’s name, however, is likely the one that will take most fans by surprise. “The Bull” joined the promotion in 2010 and posted an 11-9 record through twenty fights with the company. Most recently, he was on the wrong end of a unanimous decision at UFC 293 in Sydney against Jamie Mullarkey — and made headlines after he revealed how much he had lost to taxes while fighting abroad in Australia.

Andre Fialho being out, meanwhile, doesn’t quite come as a shock having lost four straight. But as a sure-fire entertainer coming off a Fight of the Night bonus-winning effort, it’s still somewhat surprising to see him shown the door, even after the four-pack of setbacks. In seven fights with the promotion, Fialho bagged three post-fight bonuses.

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Not entirely unheard of, as fellow Japanese star RENA does the same under the RIZIN banner.

Mizuki was also coming off knee surgery; how she’d look after so much time away was a question. Goldy herself was also ending a layoff of just over a year.

Goldy looked to utilize her low kicks early as Mizuki stayed mobile on the outside. When they came together in a clinch, Goldy fired knees, but it was Mizuki who got the fight to the fence — though Goldy didn’t stay there. They came off the fence still clinching, went back to it, came off it again and traded knees. While there was a fair amount of back-and-forth in this elongated clinch, it was Mizuki doing a better job of imposing her will, putting Goldy’s back to the fence repeatedly.

They finally broke with just under two minutes left in the round, which gave Goldy a chance to get her hands going. She got just a little bit of offense in then chased a takedown, putting Mizuki on the fence in the dying seconds of the opening round.

Round two saw Mizuki get some top time roughly two minutes into the round, though Goldy scrambled out and nearly took top position. Goldy then fended off another Mizuki takedown attempt with a guillotine; moments later, she landed an inside trip for a takedown. Goldy backed off to her feet and had to dodge an upkick, then fired a knee that came dangerously close to being illegal, with the ref watching closely. They’d end up in another extended clinch after that, trading knees, before Goldy went after another trip — only for Mizuki to land on top.

The third round saw more clinch work, more knees exchanged, and more back-and-forth. The pair would finally open up a bit in the very last minute of the fight, trading hands to the buzzer in what amounted to a fairly close contest.

Official Result: Mizuki Inoue def. Hannah Goldy by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

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The flyweight pair faced off on the main card, with McCann and teammate Paddy Pimblett once again a big part of the festivities in London.

Round one, McCann came out looking for big shots while Goldy remained out of range as she could working kicks. McCann had enough of it and used her jab to get in close and land right hands. Goldy eventually shot in for a take down, clinched, and took the fight to the fence. McCann broke out of there and returned to throwing big shots. A Goldy front kick got caught and she ended up on the ground, but once the ref stood her up McCann rushed her with a flurry and finished the fight via TKO, set up by another spinning back elbow.

MCCANN STRIKES GOLD AGAIN AT #UFCLondon 😤 pic.twitter.com/wm95DWsRrQ

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) July 23, 2022

Official Result: Molly McCann def. Hannah Goldy via R1 3:52 TKO

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The fight was announced Tuesday by UFC officials on social media.

McCann (12-4) is coming off a spectacular knockout victory over Luana Carolina at UFC London in March. McCann’s spinning back elbow finish of Carolina has made the highlight reels ever since.

As with all fighters who found a finish on the March 19 card, “Meatball” Molly was awarded a $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus for the stoppage. The Liverpool native recently appeared back stage at the Footprint Center during UFC 274, confirmed she would be fighting in London and hinting the announcement would come soon.

Goldy (6-2) won her last fight in Sept. 2021 where she defeated Emily Whitmire by submission when she won by armbar. She was expected to return to action this past February, only to be forced out of a fight with Jinh Yu Frey due to illness.

UFC London goes down on July 23 at The O2 Arena and the card currently looks as follows:

• Curtis Blaydes vs. Tom Aspinall
• Darren Till vs. Jack Hermansson
• Nikita Krylov vs. Alexander Gustafsson
• Nathaniel Wood vs. Kamuela Kirk
• Molly McCann vs. Hannah Goldy
• Muhammad Mokaev vs. Charles Johnson

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UFC officials announced the news Wednesday, citing an undisclosed illness suffered by Goldy. It does not appear that a new opponent will be sought for Frey, with the promotion stating the bout was “canceled” in a brief statement on their official website.

“Due to an illness with Hannah Goldy, her strawweight bout with Jinh Yu Frey has been canceled from this weekend’s event,” the statement read.

Frey (11-6), a former Invicta FC atomweight champ, last fought in July, picking up her second straight win inside the octagon care of a unanimous decision win over Ashley Yoder. The win improved the 36-year old’s record with the promotion to 2-2.

The Korean-American won the Invicta FC 105lb title in 2018, defending the belt once before being stripped the following year when she missed weight for a fight with Ashley Cummins. After defeating Cummins, Frey made the jump to strawweight, and to the UFC.

Goldy (6-2), who dropped her first two fights in the organization after winning on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2019, finally picked up her first UFC victory last time out. That saw her submit Emily Whitmire with an arm-bar this past September.

UFC Vegas 49 (UFC Fight Night 202) is set to take place at the Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday, February 26, 2022. A lightweight bout between Islam Makhachev and Bobby Green headlines. The card now consists of the following eleven bouts:

• Islam Makhachev vs. Bobby Green
• Misha Cirkunov vs. Wellington Turman
• Ji Yeon Kim vs. Priscila Cachoeira
• Arman Tsarukyan vs. Joel Álvarez
• Armen Petrosyan vs. Gregory Rodrigues
• Zhu Rong vs. Ignacio Bahamondes
• Josiane Nunes vs. Ramona Pascual
• Terrance McKinney vs. Farès Ziam
• Alejandro Pérez vs. Jonathan Martinez
• Ramiz Brahimaj vs. Micheal Gillmore
• Victor Altamirano vs. Carlos Hernández

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Women’s flyweight action kicked off the lengthy UFC Vegas 37 card on Saturday.

The Fight Night event boasted a full 14 fights, and that was after having lost a bout earlier in the week.

The curtain-jerker found Whitmire with her back against the wall, having lost her last two bouts. Goldy was likewise in dire straits, having come up short in both of her octagon appearances after winning on the Contender Series in 2019.

Round one began with both women trading kicks, just trying to gauge the distance. However it wasn’t long until Whitmire got a big takedown and landed on top. Goldy did a good job of fighting back to her feet but was soon taken down again by Whitmire. Goldy attempted to scramble out, but Whitmire soon got the back and nearly secured the rear-naked-choke before Goldy scrambled out and pulled guard. However, after being dominated for the majority of the round, Goldy threw up an armbar attempt from her back.

Goldy then locked in the submission fully, and Whitmire would concede via verbal submission, yelling tap at the referee, and just like that Hannah Goldy was into the UFC win column for the first time in her career.

As for Whitmire, she will be going back to the drawing board after losing her third straight fight via submission.

Official Result: Hannah Goldy def. Emily Whitmire by submission (armbar), Round1 , 4:17

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Opposite Eubanks was short-notice opponent Elise Reed. A strawweight who could potentially move down to atomweight, she instead moved up for the fight. The CFFC strawweight champ was undefeated to start the evening, but had just four professional fights to her name.

She didn’t stay undefeated for long. Sijara Eubanks charged out of the gate Saturday at UFC Vegas 32, and quickly proved that Sarj really was in charge. Eubanks converted a takedown with ease, planting newcomer Reed on her back. With a hefty size and strength advantage, Eubanks transitioned to mount with little resistance. From there, the ground and pound flowed, elbows and punches smashing away at Reed. Before long the ref had seen enough — but not quick enough, as Reed’s eye had swollen shut before she was able to get back to her feet.

For Sijara Eubanks, the win snapped a two-fight losing skid, and at the very least buys her some leeway back at 125lbs. Reed, meanwhile, who stepped in to replace Karol Rosa, can at least say she has her foot in the door, and will stick around for another fight — but that will likely be a way’s off thanks to what could very well be a broken orbital bone.

Official Result: Sijara Eubanks def. Elise Reed by TKO, Round 1, 3:49

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UFC Vegas 32 marked the strawweight debuts of both Diana Belbita and Hannah Goldy, and both were returning from a year away from the cage. Belbita had not fought in just a day short of a year, when she fell to 0-2 in the UFC with a loss to Liana Jojua. Goldy hadn’t fought since her promotional debut in August of 2019, when she lost a grappling-heavy decision to Miranda Granger.

Belbita countered a head kick with a two punch combination right away and Goldy went back to the head kick four more times, with just one being blocked. Belbita was focusing on her hands, mixing in a leg kick here and there. The stronger Goldy forced a brief clinch and Belbita was able to return to the center. Goldy had one of her kicks caught and was knocked down by a right hand. She popped back up to her feet and Belbita was swarming with punches and knees. Fortunately for Goldy, she was able to get a hold of a leg and stop the onslaught with a takedown. Belbita got off of her back and began landing more punching combinations, forcing Goldy to clinch up to slow the offense. The fighters separated at the end of the round with Belbita landing a strong straight right.

Goldy opened the second round with another high kick and a multi-punch combination. A strong straight right connected for Goldy at the end of a combination that answered a Belbita leg kick. Belbita pushed forward and landed another long right straight, leading Goldy right into the clinch again. The same sequence happened after they separated. Belbita was winning the striking exchanges with ease as the round went on with the right hand doing significant damage. A big head kick landed for Goldy near the end of the round.

Goldy utilized combinations early on and had the edge in striking for the first minute. A two-punch combination for Goldy was answered by a Belbita head kick. A big right hand stung Goldy and Belbita followed up with a lengthy combination. Goldy desperately got a hold of Belbita and drove her to the cage. They separated after a minute of clinching and Goldy was able to get a takedown right into mount with 20 seconds left in the fight. She pummeled Belbita with a elbows as time ticked away, but Belbita was able to survive.

Diana Belbita def. Hannah Goldy by Unanimous Decision (30-27 x3)

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The strawweight had been expected to face former title challenger Jessica Penne at the event on Saturday. However, on Wednesday, the 28-year old announced via social media that she was out of the fight. The UFC has yet to officially confirm the development.

“Life is crazy man. I literally can’t even believe I have to tell y’all that I won’t be fighting this Saturday. Flew out to Vegas and tested positive for COVID. I have never felt better, stronger or more complete. I was so ready to perform for y’all Saturday, unfortunately that was not Gods plan,” Goldy wrote on her official Instagram account. “I’ll be taking the necessary precautions and rescheduled as soon as I am healthy! I am so sorry guys. And I am so sorry @jessicapenne I have been looking forward to sharing the octagon with you. I will keep everyone updated. Thank you guys for all the support.”

Goldy (5-1) has not fought since dropping her UFC debut to Miranda Granger in 2019. She had previously won her way into the promotion via Dana White’s Contender Series.

The news might be even worse for Penne. The former title challenger has lost three straight, and has not competed since 2017 due to a lengthy (and somewhat controversial) suspension by USADA.

UFC 260 takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas this Saturday, March 27. The event is headlined by a heavyweight championship rematch between Stipe Miocic and Francis Ngannou. The card had been expected to feature a featherweight title fight between Alexander Volkanovski and Brian Ortega as its co-main event. However, Ortega was forced out due to COVID-19 protocols.

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In her first fight since 2017, Penne (12-5) will face Hannah Goldy (5-1) at UFC 260 in March. MMA Junkie was first to report news of the pairing. Penne had recently been posting scenes from her training camp on social media.

A former title challenger (against Joanna Jedrzejczyk) in the UFC’s strawweight division, Penne’s journey back to the cage has been a stressful one to say the least.

A year ago, Penne accused the “High Sparrows” at USADA of trying to end her career, by “bullying” her to accept a four year suspension after failing a drug test for stanozolol. It was Penne’s second test failure under the USADA-backed UFC Anti-Doping Policy, with the first resulting in an 18-month suspension.

Eventually, Penne accepted a 20-month ban, which will allow the 38-year old to return this year.

When she does return, Penne will look to snap a three-fight skid that has left her winless since a 2014 split decision victory against Randa Markos. Following that date, Penne dropped her title shot to Jedrzejczyk, then lost follow-up fights against Jessica Andrade and Danielle Taylor.

After picking up a win on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2019, Goldy lost her debut to Miranda Granger later that year. She’ll be looking to return to the win column against Penne.

The second PPV card for the promotion in the month of March, UFC 260 is expected to take place on March 27. A venue/location has yet to be formally announced. As it stands, UFC 260 currently includes the following bouts:

Stipe Miocic (c) vs. Francis Ngannou – for the UFC heavyweight championship
Alexander Volkanovski (c) vs. Brian Ortega  – for the UFC featherweight championship
Jimmy Crute vs. Johnny Walker
Modestas Bukauskas vs. Michał Oleksiejczuk
Tyron Woodley vs. Vicente Luque
Jessica Penne vs. Hannah Goldy

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