UFC releases Takanori Gomi, several other notable fighters from its roster

The UFC has once again taken a hedge-trimmer to its roster and sent a handful of notable fighters packing.

The most notable of these fighters is Takanori Gomi. This news is in keeping with a recent Instagram post from Gomi, in which the Japanese legend insinuated that he would soon be competing in the ring of Japanese promotion – most likely Rizin FF.  The promotion has also removed four other fighters from its roster, all of whom hail from Brazil. These fighters are: Hacran Dias, Henrique da Silva, Adriano Martins and Carlos Felipe. This news was first reported by Combate.

Gomi leaves the UFC having lost his last five fights, all by way of stoppage. These losses were dealt by “Maestro” Dong Hyun Kim, Jon Tuck, Jim Miller, Joe Lauzon and Myles Jury. Once regarded as one of the best lightweights on earth, Gomi is showing all the signs of a fighter on the way out.

Dias, who was a ranked featherweight contender for some time, departs the UFC roster having lost his last three fights. His most recent foils were Jared Gordon, Andre Fili, and Cub Swanson. At the height of his UFC career, Dias picked up wins over fighters like Darren Elkins and Iuri Alcântara.

Da Silva leaves the UFC roster on a four-fight skid, having recently been defeated by Paul Craig, Jordan Johnson, Ion Cutelaba, and most notably, kickboxing legend Gokhan Saki.

Felipe, finally makes his departure from the UFC under stranger circumstances. Undefeated as a pro, he failed a drug test in the lead-up to a planned UFC Sao Paulo scrap with Christian Colombo, and after receiving a two-year suspension, has apparently been granted a release from his contract.

Who do you think of this latest batch of UFC cuts? Do you think Takanori Gomi or any of these other fighters should have been given another shot?

This article first appeared on BJPenn.com on 15/11/2017.