Roque Martinez among fighters dropped from UFC roster
UFC has thousands of contracted fighters, and it is common to find some of these fighters released from their contracts, get suspended for certain violations, or even retire from mixed martial arts. 2021 has been a busy year for the mixed martial arts scene, and some fighters have been released, and others signed contracts with UFC.
We take a look at some of the most recent departures. However, it is worth noting that the departures are not necessarily a ‘release’ unless explicitly noted. Roque Martinez is among the seven fighters who are no longer on the roster. The following are the fighters that no longer on the UFC roster:
Roque Martinez
Roque Martinez joined UFC as a short-notice replacement in September 2020 after his success in RIZIN. Within nine months, he competed three times for the promotion and attained 0-3 against other fighters such as Don’Tale Mayes, Josh Parisian, and Alexander Romanov. His most recent fight was against Parisian, where he lost through a split decision resulting in controversy. The 35-year-old fighter was born in Guam and has previously competed in the Rizin Fighting Federation and Ultimate Fighting Championship. He started fighting while in high school, but it was not until he was 27 that he fought his first professional fight.
Emil Meek
Emil Meek joined UFC in 2016. The only fight he won was his promotional debut over Jordan Mein. Despite his five years with UFC, Meek has competed in only four matches and lost three. Some of the issues contributing to his inactivity include U.S. Anti-Doping Agency complications, Visa issues, and injuries. The Norwegian was all psyched up when joining UFC, but his fame has faded away with minimal appearances. He started fighting as an amateur when he won his first six matches. His first professional fight was against Magnus Frekman, where he won through TKO.
Alexander Yakovlev
Alexander Yakovlev is the most seasoned fighter on the list of recent departures. He has competed nine times in UFC from 2014-2020. He has won three promotional fights against New Jersey’s George Sullivan, Gray Maynard (former UFC lightweight title challenger) and Brazil’s Alex da Silva. The 36-year-old fighter has competed in various promotions such as Ultimate Fighting Championship, ProFC, Bodog Fight, Shooto Russia, and M-1 Global. Alexander started fighting professionally when he was just 19. His first fight in UFC was against Demian Maia where he lost by unanimous decision.
Christian Aguilera
The 29-year old Christian Aguilera is the next fighter dropped from the UFC roster. The fighter had an outstanding first fight in UFC as he knocked down the highly-rated Antony Ivy in just 57 seconds. However, his luck seemed to change after that debut fight and he lost back-to-back. His most recent losses were to Sean Brady and Carlston Harris. When growing up, Christian Aguilera engaged in taekwondo and was also obsessed with boxing. He also played hockey for two years in high school and even had dreams of playing in the NHL.
Joe Ellenberger
Joe Ellenberger has not competed in UFC since 2014 but has been on the roster up until recently. He has also been in the USADA testing pool for years. His split decision win over James Moontasri is one of the records that he will be remembered for. However, he also lost to Bryan Barberena through a TKO. Joe comes from an athletic family as his brother Jake Ellenberger is a former UFC standout. The 35-year-old fighter has overcome loads of odds to become who he is today. At first, he was diagnosed with a rare blood disease and then a detached retina.
Stefan Sekulic
Stefan Sekulic made just two appearances in UFC and suffered a two-year USADA suspension. He lost his promotional debut to Ramazan Emmev and later tested positive for drostanolone and was thus sanctioned. He would later come back during UFC 261, where he lost to Dwight Grant through a controversial split decision. The Siberian fighter first appeared at SBC 2 in 2013 and then signed with UFC in 2018. His stats stand at 12-3 win-loss.
Lara Procopio
Lara Procopio fought only twice in the UFC and is no longer part of the roster. The 25-year-old fighter announced her departure from UFC through her Instagram page. Lara won just one fight in UFC against Karol Rosa through a split decision. Her most recent loss was to Molly McCann in the third round. Lara Procopio started fighting in martial arts when she was young as she was born to Brazilian jiu-jitsu instructors. She went 3-0 as an amateur and finally went professional in 2015. She suffered a six-month ban after USADA found her positive for ostarine.
MMA has a huge following and is one of the betting options you will find on bookmaker. We can only wait and see the next cause of action that the above players will take in their fighting careers.
