Antonio Carlos Junior weighs in for a fight in the UFC.
Antonio Carlos Junior among latest wave of UFC cuts as promotion axes 11 more fighters
Antonio Carlos Junior was among the latest wave of UFC roster cuts as he along with 10 other fighters have been given their pink slips.
UFC president Dana White promised late last year that his company would cut 60 fighters from its roster, and the cuts began when former stars Anderson Silva and Yoel Romero were shown the door. More cuts have trickled in after that, such as when long-time veteran Matt Wiman was released, and there are still many more to come before the UFC matchmakers hit that magic 60 number. Therefore, it was no surprise when 11 UFC fighters were shown the door on Thursday. Chief among them being Junior, the former Ultimate Fighter Brazil winner.
Along with Junior, the UFC also cut the following fighters: Carlton Minus, Peter Barrett, Spike Carlyle, Anthony Ivy, Jacob Kilburn, Sarah Moras, Vinicius Moreira, Markus Perez, Cole Williams, and Rhys McKee. Additionally, it was noted that Vanessa Melo has fought out her UFC deal. Her team is reportedly hopeful they will land a new contract, but she could also be at risk of being released. MMAFighting.com confirmed the cuts with the UFC.
Junior recently lost a unanimous decision to Brad Tavares at UFC 257, his third straight loss after previous decision setbacks to Uriah Hall and Ian Heinisch. Junior went 7-5, 1 NC overall, but wasn’t kept around despite his winning record. Junior becomes a free agent, where he is sure to draw interest among other promotions, including PFL in a future tournament. Junior has primarily fought at middleweight these last few years, but he previously fought at light heavyweight and even at heavyweight. He was actually a heavyweight when he won The Ultimate Brazil 3, so there are plenty of options for him as far as weight classes now that he’s left the UFC.
What do you make of Antonio Carlos Junior and the latest round of UFC roster cuts?
