For two fighters who entered UFC Vegas 114 with their careers on the line, the final bell was followed by a pink slip. In its latest roster purge, the promotion yesterday let go of two fighters who lost their respective bouts on March 14—bantamweights Montserrat Rendon (7-2) and Luan Lacerda (13-4). Neither had reached five fights in the promotion before being released. If that wasn’t bad enough, just a few hours later, a third name was added to the list.

Brazilian MMA journalist Guilherme Cruz shared the news about the two fighters on X. Headlined by featherweights Josh Emmett vs. Kevin Vallejos, UFC Vegas 114 took place on March 14 at Meta Apex. Here, Montserrat Rendon lost to BJJ veteran Bia Mesquita in the very first round by rear-naked choke. Rendon had two losses and one win in her last three fights in the promotion, which is what makes her release particularly surprising.

Add to that, she is part of a division with only 30 active athletes, and the cut becomes disconcerting. One plausible reason for her release could be the fact that she had no finishes in her professional MMA career. This has been seen as a big motivating factor for Dana White to let go of fighters from his promotion. At 37, the chances of a big resurgence are also slim. Then there’s Luan Lacerda, who was also released.

Lacerda, though comparatively young at 33, has had a rocky run in the UFC. Signed in 2023, the Brazilian has gone 1-3 in his four fights in the promotion. Despite being a former Shooto Brasil bantamweight champion, Luan Lacerda couldn’t recreate his past magic in the UFC. With the latest loss to Hecher Sosa earlier this month, the promotion likely felt a second finish wasn’t coming, leading to his release by the UFC. There’s also a third fighter who was released by the promotion.

Terrance Saeteurn’s release, though, is less puzzling. After running through opponents in the regional scene after his professional debut in 2022, which eventually saw him become the A1C flyweight champion, Saeteurn got his big UFC break in 2025. He went on to face Nyamjargal Tumendemberel on short notice in August on the Road to UFC 4 card in his debut. However, things didn’t go his way.

He was submitted in less than three minutes, ending his five-fight winning streak in MMA. On top of that, the Fairfield, California, fighter had missed weight by 0.5 lbs—not significant, but enough for the promotion to see the fighter as not dependable. As a result, since then, Saeteurn hasn’t gotten a second fight. His current professional record stands at 8-2. However, since the American is only 30, there’s enough time for him to regroup and work his way back to the top.

This is only the latest in a slew of roster purges every week since UFC’s Paramount era began late last year. Just ahead of UFC Vegas 114, the promotion released five fighters from its roster: Kris Moutinho, Phil Rowe, Gavin Tucker, Erik Silva and AJ Cunningham. Then there was a release of Jose Medina and Felipe Bunes the week before that.

This follows a significant “spring cleaning” phase throughout March 2026 that has now seen over 10 fighters released or retired from the organization. It appears Dana White is focused on maximizing subscription growth and retention for Paramount+ while ensuring a leaner roster provides constant, high-engagement content for the platform.

Earlier this year, even commentator Laura Sanko warned fighters that this year we would see more releases as the promotion focuses on keeping only the most entertaining athletes. While the UFC has released several fighters, Dana White has also re-signed a lightweight veteran who lost his last fight.

UFC veteran re-signed as Dana White continues to shake up the roster

Terrance McKinney has quickly become one of the most entertaining UFC lightweight fighters on the roster. He has been with the promotion since 2021, but still hasn’t managed to break into the official rankings. McKinney fought hard to reach the UFC. He first tried to make it through the DWCS in 2019 but lost after a flying knee from Sean Woodson in the second round. Heartbroken, he returned to the regional circuit and picked up key wins in promotions like LFA, which eventually earned him a second shot at the UFC in 2021.

Since joining the promotion, McKinney has faced ups and downs. He fought opponents like Mike Breeden and Brendon Marotte and suffered some setbacks along the way. However, in his most recent fights, the 31-year-old improved, compiling a 7-5 record with wins over Damir Hadzovic and Viacheslav Borshchev.

Yet, in his latest bout against Chris Duncan, McKinney failed to extend his win streak, as his opponent submitted him with an anaconda choke in the first round. Despite the loss, ahead of his fight against Kyle Nelson this weekend, the UFC has decided to renew his contract.

“Terrance McKinney has signed a new multi-fight deal with the UFC ahead of his fight at UFC Seattle this weekend,” MMA Orbit reported on X.

The re-signing signals the UFC’s confidence in McKinney as a draw regardless of results. He has recently reworked his approach inside the cage, looking to sustain excitement beyond the first round rather than hunting for immediate finishes.