A report from Nolan King of MMA Junkie has confirmed the departure of five fighters from the UFC roster. The promotion has reportedly parted ways with Anthony Birchak, Aalon Cruz, Jordan Griffin, Ray Rodriguez and Luke Sanders.
Birchak leaves the UFC lineup after his second run in the promotion. He re-joined the UFC roster in November, stepping in for Felipe Colares in a short notice fight against Gustavo Lopez. He lost the fight, getting submitted within a round with a rear naked choke.
Birchak’s last appearance was in April, where Tony Gravely stopped him in the second round of a fight with strikes.
Similarly, Rodriguez entered the UFC in September to take a short-notice fight against Brian Kelleher. After being submitted within a round in that fight and getting stopped by Rani Yahya, Rodriguez is out of the UFC.
Cruz’s UFC run also comes to an end following two consecutive losses. He was finished within a round in both of his appearances, losing to Uros Medic and Spike Carlyle. He first earned his UFC contract in 2019 with a win on TV show “Dana White’s Contender Series.”
Griffin had one of the longer runs in the UFC among the pack of recent departures. Having fought five times from 2018 to 2021, Griffin leaves after losing four of the fights.
Sanders is the most experienced fighter to part ways with the UFC. He competed eight times for the promotion since 2016, winning in three of the appearances. He last fought in early May, where he lost to Felipe Colares.
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