Dana White claims UFC roster cuts have ‘nothing to do with pay’ as veteran lightweight Matt Wiman becomes the latest star to be let go with promotion looking to release 60 fighters in the coming weeks
- Dana White claims upcoming roster cuts have nothing to do with fighter pay
- The UFC are looking to cut 60 fighters from their 724-strong roster
- Middleweight title contender Yoel Romero was surprisingly let go last week
- Now, veteran lightweight Matt Wiman has become the latest name to be cut
Dana White has claimed that upcoming roster cuts in the UFC have ‘nothing to do with fighter pay’ as veteran lightweight Matt Wiman becomes the next big name to be released from the promotion.
UFC supremo White announced at the weekend that it would be going on a roster purge in a bid to whittle down the 724-strong roster, which he claims has always been done over the years.
White was questioned on Saturday about the decision to release Cuban middleweight Yoel Romero, who was recently dropped by the organisation despite fighting for the title as recently as March.
UFC president Dana White claims upcoming roster cuts have nothing to do with fighter pay
The 51-year-old explained the roster is very inflated and the surprises will keep on coming, but the decision to do so has nothing to do with cutting costs.
‘We’ve been making these same moves every weekend for 20 years,’ White told MMA Junkie. ‘We haven’t in the past few months. It has nothing to do with fighter pay or anything else. It just hasn’t been done in a few months during the pandemic.
‘If I was trying to save money, I would be laying off employees like every other company in America right now. That’s how you save money during something like this.
‘I have honoured every fighter contract and have not laid off one employee during this pandemic.’
Veteran lightweight Matt Wiman became the latest name to be released from the promotion
Wiman (left) has been fighting with the UFC since making his debut at UFC 60 back in 2006
As of last week, there were 117 women and 607 male fighters on the company’s books but with Romero and UFC icon Anderson Silva being released in recent weeks, fans have been left wondering who will be facing the chop.
According to Combate, the latest round of cuts were revealed on Tuesday and the most notable of the names that were let go was Wiman, who has been fighting with the company since UFC 60 back in 2006.
He has fought exclusively for the company since then and has a 10-8 record inside the octagon.
The UFC also released light heavyweights Gadzhimurad Antigulov and Saparbek Safarov, bantamweight Cole Smith, and featherweight Eduardo Garagorri.
The cuts are expected to continue in a bid to make room on its roster for the Contender Series alum, new fighters from The Ultimate Fighter, and free-agent signings.
Middleweight Yoel Romero has already been ousted despite fighting for the title in March
Romero (left), at 44-years-old, was deemed surplus to requirements due to his recent defeats
The UFC’s 724 active fighters will be cut drastically, and many will be fearing for their spots
The UFC was one of the first major American sports to restart in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, creating a bubble and staging cards in Florida and Las Vegas as well as ‘Fight Island’ in Abu Dhabi, with no fans in attendance.
Despite the difficulties and the upcoming cuts, White declared himself happy with the way 2020 has panned out, saying: ‘For all the negative things and bad stuff that has happened this year, it sure has played out pretty well for us.’
Next up is UFC 256 on December 13, with Tony Ferguson the co-headliner as he faces a crucial bout with Charles Olivera, looking to regain some pride after he was steamrollered by Justin Gaethje in May.
A flyweight clash between Deiveson Figueiredo and Brandon Moreno will be the other co-main event in Nevada.
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