Jessica Penne, Matheus Nicolau Among Seven Fighters Cut From UFC Roster

UFC has gone through another round of cuts, parting ways with seven fighters who have struggled as of late.

Jessica Penne, Matheus Nicolau, Tamires Vidal, Robelis Despaigne, Vinicius Salvador, Charalampos Grigoriou and Jesse Butler were all removed from the roster this week, as confirmed by a report from Guilherme Cruz of MMA Fighting.

Penne is the longest-tenured fighter to leave the UFC roster from the latest wave. She initially entered the promotion back in 2014, competing as part of “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 20. She appeared nine times as a UFC talent, attaining three wins along the way.

Penne notably was inactive for more than four years of her time in the promotion, in part due to a controversial 20-month suspension dished out by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA). Her stint came to an end following a trio of losses since 2022, including a defeat earlier this month against Elise Reed.

Flyweight contender Nicolau is leaving the UFC after his second stint in the promotion. The 31-year-old returned to the top MMA promotion in 2021, getting re-signed following a two-fight run on the regionals.

Nicolau was at one point deemed among the best at 125 pounds and is still currently ranked 10th in the weight class. He previously climbed the rankings with wins over names like Matt Schnell and Manel Kape. However, following a three-fight losing streak against tough names in the class, he’s now off the roster once again.

All of the other fighters cut from the roster appeared four times or less in the UFC. Heavyweight Despaigne’s run in the promotion is ending after three appearances despite entering with high fanfare.

Despaigne made his UFC debut just earlier this year, getting signed to the promotion after winning a trio of regional bouts in a combined 19 seconds. While his UFC 299 performance against Josh Parisian delivered an 18-second knockout win, he was on the losing end of lopsided decisions against Waldo Cortes-Acosta and Austen Lane in recent months, calling an end to his time in the promotion after less than a year.