A dozen fighters are no longer on the UFC roster after a series of releases, retirements, and contract completions.
The UFC roster has been trimmed as a dozen fighters have parted ways with the promotion in the past three days.
While many of the departures were that of fighters who were two or three fights into their promotional tenure, two athletes with double digits in the promotion were among those to split.
News of the departures were first reported by algorithm-based Twitter account, UFC Roster Watch, which monitors the rankings-eligibility of the promotion’s roster.
Scroll below to read about the 12 fighters who are now free agents after leaving the UFC. The designation of each athlete’s departure, whether it be a release, a completion of contract, or a retirement, is unknown unless noted otherwise.
Gillian Robertson’s name is all over the record books after another submission win at UFC Fight Night 210.
The UFC’s final event of September took place Saturday with UFC Fight Night 210, which went down at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and featured 13 fights on the docket.
The last of those fights was an important showdown in the bantamweight division. [autotag]Cory Sandhagen[/autotag] (15-4 MMA, 8-3 UFC) delivered a fourth-round TKO of [autotag]Song Yadong[/autotag] (19-7-1 MMA, 8-2-1 UFC) after a bad cut forced a doctor’s stoppage, putting Sandhagen back on the winning track after consecutive losses.
For more ont he numbers behind the main event, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from UFC Fight Night 210.
UFC Fight Night 210 fighters took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay, a program that continued after the UFC’s deal with Venum.
LAS VEGAS – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 210 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $155,500.
The program, a comprehensive plan that includes outfitting requirements, media obligations and other items under the fighter code of conduct, replaces the previous payments made under the UFC Athlete Outfitting Policy.
UFC Fight Night 210 took place at the UFC Apex. The entire card streamed on ESPN+.
The full UFC Fight Night 210 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:
Under the UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program’s payout tiers, which appropriate the money generated by Venum’s multi-year sponsorship with the UFC, fighters are paid based on their total number of UFC bouts, as well as Zuffa-era WEC fights (January 2107 and later) and Zuffa-era Strikeforce bouts (April 2101 and later). Fighters with 1-3 bouts receive $4,000 per appearance; 4-5 bouts get $4,500; 6-10 bouts get $6,000; 11-15 bouts earn $11,000; 16-20 bouts pocket $16,000; and 21 bouts and more get $21,000. Additionally, champions earn $42,000 while title challengers get $32,000.
In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-30 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.
Full 2022 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:
“UFC Fight Night 210: Sandhagen vs. Song” – $202,000
A total of nine fighters are facing potential six-month shutdowns after their UFC 255 fights, including two from atop the card.
A total of nine fighters are facing potential six-month shutdowns after their UFC 255 fights, including the two who fell short in title bouts atop the card.
[autotag]Alex Perez[/autotag] (24-6 MMA, 6-2 UFC) needs an X-ray to clear his right hand, otherwise he’ll be suspended for 180 days after his submission loss to flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo (20-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC) in the main event this past Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
And [autotag]Jennifer Maia[/autotag] (18-7-1 MMA, 3-3 UFC) is looking at a potential six-month sit, as well, following her decision loss to women’s flyweight champ Valentina Shevchenko (20-3 MMA, 9-2 UFC) in the co-feature. Maia can return quicker if a nasal fracture is cleared by a doctor, but will be out a minimum of 45 days with 30 days of no contact.
MMA Junkie on Monday obtained the full list of suspensions from MixedMartialArts.com, the Association of Boxing Commissions’ official record keeper.
Other fighters facing possible six-month medical suspensions unless they get cleared for earlier returns are [autotag]Cynthia Calvillo[/autotag] (9-2-1 MMA, 6-2-1 UFC) following her loss to Katlyn Chookagian; [autotag]Brandon Royval[/autotag] (12-5 MMA, 2-1 UFC) after his TKO loss to Brandon Moreno; [autotag]Joaquin Buckley[/autotag] (12-3 MMA, 2-1 UFC) after his knockout of [autotag]Jordan Wright[/autotag]; [autotag]Ariane Lipski[/autotag] (13-6 MMA, 2-3 UFC) following her TKO loss to Antonina Shevchenko; [autotag]Nicolas Dalby[/autotag] (19-4-1 MMA, 3-3-1 UFC) after his decision win over [autotag]Daniel Rodriguez[/autotag]; and [autotag]Alan Jouban[/autotag] (17-7 MMA, 8-5 UFC) after his decision win over [autotag]Jared Gooden[/autotag].
The full list of UFC 255 medical suspensions includes:
Alex Perez: Needs X-ray and clearance of right hand, otherwise suspended 180 days.
Jennifer Maia: Needs clearance of nasal fracture, otherwise suspended 180 days. Suspended minimum 45 days with 30 days no contact.
[autotag]Tim Means[/autotag]: Suspended 30 days with 21 days no contact due to a right knee injury.
[autotag]Mike Perry[/autotag]: Suspended 45 days with 30 days no contact due to contusions.
Cynthia Calvillo: Needs clearance of right shoulder with MRI, otherwise suspended 180 days. Suspended minimum 30 days with 21 days no contact.
[autotag]Mauricio Rua[/autotag]: Suspended 45 days with 30 days no contact.
Brandon Royval: Needs clearance of right shoulder with MRI, otherwise suspended 180 days. Suspended minimum 30 days with 21 days no contact.
Joaquin Buckley: Needs clearance of right shoulder with X-ray, otherwise suspended 180 days.
Jordan Wright: Suspended 45 days with 30 days no contact.
Ariane Lipski: Needs clearance of orbital fracture, otherwise suspended 180 days. Suspended minimum 45 days with 30 days no contact.
Nicolas Dalby: Needs clearance of right foot and right elbow with X-rays, otherwise suspended 180 days. Suspended minimum 30 days with 21 days no contact.
Daniel Rodriguez: Needs clearance of right hand with X-ray, otherwise suspended 180 days. Suspended minimum 30 days with 21 days no contact.
Alan Jouban: Needs clearance of nasal bone fracture, otherwise suspended 180 days. Suspended minimum 45 days with 30 days no contact.
Jared Gooden: Suspended 45 days with 30 days no contact.
[autotag]Dustin Stoltzfus[/autotag]: Suspended 45 days with 30 days no contact.
[autotag]Sasha Palatnikov[/autotag]: Suspended 45 days with 30 days no contact due to cuts.
[autotag]Louis Cosce[/autotag]: Suspended 45 days with 30 days no contact.
Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 255 took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $275,000.
LAS VEGAS – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 255 event took home event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $275,000.
The program, a comprehensive plan that includes outfitting requirements, media obligations and other items under the fighter code of conduct, replaces the previous payments made under the UFC Athlete Outfitting Policy.
UFC 255 took place at UFC Apex. The main card aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+/UFC Fight Pass.
The full UFC 255 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:
Under the UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program’s payout tiers, which appropriate the money generated by Reebok’s multi-year sponsorship with the UFC, fighters are paid based on their total number of UFC bouts, as well as Zuffa-era WEC fights (January 2007 and later) and Zuffa-era Strikeforce bouts (April 2011 and later). Fighters with 1-3 bouts receive $3,500 per appearance; 4-5 bouts get $4,000; 6-10 bouts get $5,000; 11-15 bouts earn $10,000; 16-20 bouts pocket $15,000; and 21 bouts and more get $20,000. Additionally, champions earn $40,000 while title challengers get $30,000.
In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-30 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.
Full 2020 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:
The curtain-jerker turned into a barnburner, then “Fight of the Night” was already settled.
UFC 255 was proof that anyone from the opening bout to the top of the card can go home with an extra $50,000.
As is custom, four competitors are going home with post-fight bonuses thanks to their efforts in the cage at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Saturday’s event featured a “Fight of the Night” award and two “Performance of the Night” efforts.
A look at the evening’s bonus winners, kicking off with “Fight of the Night” from the evening’s curtain jerker:
After a “Round of the Year” candidate, Sasha Palatnikov put Hong Kong on the UFC map with a TKO win.
Hong Kong debuted in highlight-reel fashion at UFC 255 on Saturday.
In the evening’s curtain jerker, [autotag]Sasha Palatnikov[/autotag] became the first fighter in UFC history to represent Hong Kong – and also the first to record an octagon victory. As the second-biggest underdog on the entire card, Palatnikov (6-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC) picked up the TKO victory over [autotag]Louis Cosce[/autotag] at 2:27 of Round 3.
With the victory, Palatnikov proved the oddsmakers wrong. On average, across major online sportsbooks, Palatnikov closed a +422 (per BestFightOdds).
After a tough opening round, in which he ate dozens of hard punches, Palatnikov survived and dished out his fair share of punishment in a potential “Round of the Year” candidate.
Cosce (7-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC), who seemingly winded himself with the high-output Round 1, ate a big right hand midway through Round 3. From there, Palatnikov finished Cosce with a series of lefts and rights on the canvas.
Check out Palatnikov’s finish of Cosce in the video below:
After throwing hammers back-and-forth for nearly three full rounds, @PalatnikovMMA got the finish 😤
The victory was Palatnikov’s second in a row and was his third career win by TKO. Palatnikov’s lone professional loss came to fellow UFC fighter Mounir Lazzez when the two were on the regional scene.
UFC 255 takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The main card streamed on pay-per-view after prelims on ESPN+/ESPN 2/UFC Fight Pass.
It was a successful night at the office for Orion and Louis Cosce, who both earned contracts on Dana White’s Contender Series 29.
LAS VEGAS – It was a successful night at the office for the undefeated Cosce brothers.
Both [autotag]Orion Cosce[/autotag] (7-0) and [autotag]Louis Cosce[/autotag] (7-0) earned contracts on Dana White’s Contender Series 29 by scoring big finishes in their bouts.
But it was a different kind of night for each brother. Orion had to pull through late, but Louis made quick work of his opponent.
After dropping Round 1, Orion rallied by winning Round 2 and made sure to put the stamp on his performance with a late finish over Matt Dixon after an already dominant third round.
“I thought he was really strong in the first round,” Orion told reporters, including MMA Junkie, on Tuesday after his win at the UFC Apex in Las Veags. “Obviously, I knew coming out he was going to be very athletic. I’ve seen his fights previously. I knew he was going to be strong. I knew he was going to be good in the standup. I didn’t expect him to start shooting as soon as he did, so those takedowns – he caught me by surprise. It was perfectly timed, but I capitalized on that.
“In the second round, my corners were telling me it was close. That three-second stuff, it’ll never happen again. I don’t want people to think I quit because in every fight I’ve ever been in – this is my third fight now where it’s a finish in the third round. It goes to show that I’m not a quitter. I’m going to do whatever I can. I don’t trust judges.”
Louis on the other hand, dispatched Victor Reyna in just 82 seconds, continuing his impressive 100 percent finishing rate.
“That’s the whole point of a fight,” Louis said. “You go out there to finish it – don’t leave it to the judges. You never know how it’s going to go down. I remember saying in my interview I was going to try to bomb on him and finish him, and I wanted to stick to my word because I know a lot of people, they win by decision. They don’t always get that contract on this show. So I wanted to go out there and put a stamp on it. I felt like if I finished him in the first, there was no denying me, and I stuck to my word and I did exactly so, or what I said I was going to do.”
Drugs, broken homes and backyard fights – how brothers Louis and Orion Cosce made it to the UFC’s doorstep.
It’s unusual for anyone from Weitchpec, Calif. to make their name known.
However, that’s what Louis and [autotag]Orion Cosce[/autotag] have set out to do – and they’re close to achieving that. The brothers will compete Tuesday on Dana White’s Contender Series 29 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. And in doing so, they’ve already defied the odds.
Weitchpec is a small community within the Yurok reservation, which is right outside Humboldt County in northwest California. How small is small? The brothers estimate the population of the community is approximately 150 people.
“It was one of those things where we just worked hard, and we looked back at where we were and where we are now,” Orion told MMA Junkie. “We appreciate everything we’ve been through as the people we are today.”
Though their father introduced them to wrestling, Orion and Louis always wanted to take their talents further. While their dad wanted them to be police officers, and other relatives wanted them to model, the Cosce brothers dreamed of becoming fighters. Growing up, they’d emulate “Dragonball Z” characters, playfully yet powerfully scrapping whenever they could.
Photo courtesy: Louis and Orion Cosce
“We had some dumb (expletive) where it’d be me, Louis, and one of our homies from back in the day,” Orion said. “We’d be like, ‘We’re going to run up the hill and spar the entire time.’ So as we’re running, we’re punching and kicking the (expletive) out of one another.’ We were just hella young and dumb, but we had a blast.”
The childhood fighting extended beyond their walks to and from school or hanging out. Their father would have his friends over the house.
“He had us fighting each other a lot as kids,” Louis said. “He’d have his friends and their kids show up, and we’d (expletive) scrap.”
Throughout their childhood, Louis and Orion bounced from home to home as a result of their parents’ circumstances. At times, the brothers were separated. Even though they separated physically, they never stopped maintaining their powerful relationship.
“We grew up with multiple families,” Orion said. “It’s one of those things, for us, where it takes a village to raise a child. That’s what it was for us, but we were always there for each other, too. There would be days where I’d be taking care of Louis, and I’d be a year older than he is. We’d be looking out for each other days on end while our parents were out doing whatever they were doing. Whenever we were by ourselves, we’re wherever we were staying, we’d be like, ‘Let’s go outside and keep ourselves busy.'”
Living on the side of a mountain in a tiny community had physical and geographical difficulties, but the challenges didn’t end there. The societal pressure of drug use was a major issue growing up, which they said even directly affected their family.
“Having parents who weren’t doing too much – like, getting involved in drugs and stuff, it just kind of makes you grow up a lot faster,” Louis said. “Realism plays instead of fantasy. Realism comes into play as a little kid, so you’ve got to grow up faster. That’s a harsh reality of life back where I’m from. I think that’s everywhere, too.”
Photo courtesy: Louis and Orion Cosce
Louis credits Orion with pulling him away from going down a dark path. Many of their friends had gotten tangled up in a life of drugs. Orion served as a role model for his younger brother.
“To be honest, if it wasn’t for my brother, I’d probably be on drugs or dead right now,” Louis said. “I have a lot of friends who got tweaked out, are dead, or committed suicide by just going down the wrong path, honestly. My brother was a smart kid who worked hard. It was really easy to look up to him and follow his footsteps. A lot of my friends weren’t doing that. I hung out with those kids, and I loved those guys, but I just knew I didn’t want to be like that.
“My brother was an easy example to follow. He always got good grades and was training hard. As the years went on, it kind of went from wanting to do it, to turning into a habit.”
Walking the wire by running with bad decision makers, the brothers grew up quickly. Life became “real” at a young age. Being faced with mature decisions at an immature age taught the boys life’s hard lessons early.
“(Drug use) was everywhere,” Louis said. “It was in our family – and still is. It’s still really bad. As a kid, you don’t really recognize it. You’re living in that fantasy life where you’re out catching bugs, playing with your friends. As soon as you get a couple years older, you start to recognize different things – how your family is acting and what’s happening around you. You just have to grow up a lot faster. It’s (expletive) up, but it’s just the way life goes.”
After college didn’t work out for Orion, he returned home and began training with Louis. For Louis’ MMA debut, Orion cornered. The experience solidified their dreams as goals, and the two fighters pursued professional fighting.
Photo courtesy: Louis and Orion Cosce
In the end, Louis and Orion turned out OK – better than OK, actually. They’ve thrived, continuing their ascent up the MMA ladder toward their ultimate dream job.
Orion trains at Team Alpha Male and Louis at Lost Boys BJJ, where the two brothers got their MMA start. The two fighters have accumulated individual 6-0 records with a handful of finishes apiece.
On Tuesday, Orion takes on Matt Dixon (9-0) before Louis headlines DWCS 29 against Victor Reyna (11-4). The world will officially learn the story of Louis and Orion Cosce – but it’s ending hasn’t been written yet. Whatever that turns out to be, the brothers hope to inspire the community back in Weitchpec.
“(You’re) going to witness two brothers who grew up in the harsh reality of life and worked hard their whole lives finally pay off for them,” Orion said. “We’re going to go out there and do what we know best, which is (expletive) hurt people. We’re pretty good at it. I think a lot of the world is about to be on our side. We’re about to have people realize it doesn’t matter where you come from. It matters how hard you work and what you’re willing to put in.”
Added Louis: “It would mean everything to see myself succeed and my brother succeed from a small town with all the (expletive) we’ve been through and all the adversity we’ve come through, to see it and bring back all that hope and make everybody at home proud of us. In the small town we come from, there aren’t a whole lot of people doing a whole lot of anything around here, honestly. Hopefully, we bring some life to some people’s eyes to see two kids from this area make it.”
