UFC News 2016: Company Releases Eleven Fighters; Dana White Says Ex-Champ Cain Velasquez 'Will Not Take Long' To Recover
The UFC has recently released eleven fighters from its roster.
In a report by Marc Raimondi for MMA Fighting, two notable names of veterans stand out: lightweight fighter Danny "Last Call" Castillo and welterweight Mike Pierce. Castillo, who is a member of renowned UFC and mixed martial arts stable Team Alpha Male, made his Octagon debut in 2011, where he won against former title contender Joe Stevenson via unanimous decision.
He was able put up a decent streak along the way before losing his last four consecutive fights. Castillo last saw action against Nik Lentz in December, where he lost by split decision. He currently holds a professional record of 17-10, with ten victories by stoppage. He holds a 7-7 record in the UFC.
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Pierce, on the other hand, made his UFC debut in 2009, through a unanimous decision victory against Brock Larson. He did win his next fights, while losing some as well, before losing his last two consecutive fights. He last saw action in December against Ryan LaFlare, where he lost by unanimous decision.
Pierce holds a record of 17-7, with nine victories by stoppage. He holds a 9-5 record in the UFC.
Other names on the list are that of Steve Montgomery, Marcin Wrzosek, Marcio Alexandre, Akbarh Arreola, Steven Kennedy, Konstantin Erokhin, Valmir Lazaro, Leo Kuntz, and Hayder Hassan.
Meanwhile, UFC president Dana White recently revealed that former heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez would not be sidelined for a very long time. Velasquez was slated to face current champion Fabricio Werdum in a rematch on February 6th at UFC 196, but pulled out due to a back injury.
Top contender Stipe Miocic was tapped as a replacement, but Werdum also pulled out due to injury. The bout is officially scrapped, but former welterweight champion Johny Hendricks, who faces Stephen "Wonderboy" Thompson, will now headline the event.
But instead of being on pay-per-view, the card has been downgraded to a free TV show on FOX Sports.
White did give some specifics on Velasquez's injury last Thursday on the "Opie with Jim Norton" radio show, through a report by MMA Fighting.
"He's got problems with a disc in his back. He's actually gonna have surgery. The good part is it's not gonna be long," White said.
