Out with the old, in with the new.
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) continues trimming its extensive roster of mixed martial arts (MMA) talent as the promotion welcomes another huge crop Contender series signatories.
Nine militants have recently gone missing UFC Active Rostermeaning they were released from their respective contracts and/or the ad campaign decided not to offer them new offers.
Recent departures include Lyman Good, Saygid Izagakhmaev, Bruno Lopes, Bekzat Almakhan, Cody Gibson, Aoriqilingen, Ravenna Oliveira, Stewart Nicoll and Hailey Cowan.
Good (21-6) has not competed inside the Octagon since his unanimous decision Belal Muhammad in June 2020. Injuries and personal family matters sidelined the longtime lightweight for more than six years.
The 41-year-old was the Bellator middleweight champion and also featured The ultimate fighter (TUF) 19.
Well exits the UFC with a respectable 3-3 promotional record.
Of the nine fighters who lost their roster spots, Almakhan (12-4) is the most head-scratching.
Yes, he went 1-3 inside the Octagon, but he only faced tough competition. Almakhan made his UFC debut against Umar Nurmagomedov and even toppled the then-undefeated contender early before losing a decision. He then knocked out the two-time TUF winner Brad the soldier (watch the highlights) before incurring losses Alexander Topuria and Jean Matsumotothe latter comes in close combat.
At just 29 years old, Almakhan could easily return to the UFC after picking up a few wins on the regional scene.
Gibson (21-13) has now been released from the UFC for the second time in his career.
“The Renegade” went 1-3 in his initial stint in 2014-15 before spending nearly eight years on the rebound. Gibson reached the finals of TUF 31 in 2023, losing a wild “Fight of the Night” decision to Katona, but the UFC still signed him to a new contract.
Unfortunately, Gibson went 2-5 in his second bout, leaving him with a combined UFC record of 3-8.
Aoriqilingen (26-14) had fun in the UFC, but ended up going 4-6 with no contests in 11 Octagon appearances.
The “Mongolian Assassin” achieved memorable victories Cameron Else, Jay Perrin, Johnny Munoz and Gibson, but pulled out of his last fight against the former RIZIN champion Kai Asakurasuffering from a by second-round knockout at UFC Shanghai.
Lopes (14-4) continued to compete Contender series twice before finally signing with the UFC. The “Brazilian Hulk” finished his first promotion deal going 1-3 and suffering all three losses.
Oliveira (7-5-1), Cowan (7-6) and Nicoll (8-4) also reached the end of their first UFC contracts after going 0-4 inside the Octagon.
In the end, Izagakhmaev (22-4) was one of the UFC’s strangest free agent signings. The former ONE Championship standout competed in the Octagon just twice, dropping back-to-back decisions Nicolas Dalby and Abubakar Vagaev before losing your roster spot.
Together Contender series With contracts piling up every Tuesday night, those nine destroyers likely won’t be the final casualties on the 2026 roster.
The UFC roster machine never stops.
Click to read more about the UFC’s latest roster cuts here.
