The following fighters have been released after their bouts at UFC 125:
All the above fighters lost their bouts, Phil Baroni took part in the first ever UFC bout aired live on Ion Television, and was defeated by Brad Tavares via TKO in the first round. Baroni has collected quite a following on twitter, who have been rallying to get him back into the UFC, but with Baroni's record falling to 13-13, the UFC needs him to go out and win a few fights...no matter how much they like him.
Antonio McKee hadn't lost a fight in years when he made his UFC debut against up and comer Jacob Volkmann, but the hype wasn't enough for "Mandingo", who lost the fight via split decision. The next fighter on our list had the best showing of all the men who have been cut. Marcus Davis looked good in his lightweight debut, he was able to avoid takedowns and outstrike Jeremy Stephens for most of their fight...until he was knocked out in the third round when exchanging punches. Davis should just be one win away from getting an invite back to the UFC, as he's a great addition to any card the UFC puts on across the pond, and is rarely in a dull fight.
Last on the list, Brandon Vera. His star was on the rise when he was in the heavyweight division, but back to back losses to Tim Sylvia and Fabricio Werdum sent him down to the light heavyweight division. From there, things hardly improved, and he went 3-4, losing his most recent three to Randy Couture, Jon Jones, and finally Thiago Silva at UFC 125. For years we've heard about "the old Vera" being back, but the truth is, he was never gone. His biggest win was against Frank Mir when Frank Mir was trying to make his way back to relevancy in the heavyweight division. Yes, his kick boxing is good, but he is easy stopped from implementing it in his fights. You can't look THAT lost on your back and expect to keep your job in the UFC. I would like to see Vera pick up some wins and return, but he's got to work on his game if he wants some job security. There's no shame in losing to Couture (close decison, mind you), Jones, and Silva, he just needs to put in the work and put on some impressive performances.
With the WEC merger completed, expect more cuts throughout the first half of 2011 as the UFC tries to get comfortable with the added numbers on the roster. Keep an eye out for the next edition of "You're Fired!" after UFC Fight for the Troops 2 on January 22nd later this month.
Photo via Dave Mandel, for Sherdog
