As the first Fight Night of 2026, UFC Vegas 113 surely put out some intense bouts. Some fighters emerged victorious and entered the title conversation, while others faced harsh consequences with their losses. Consequently, the Dana White-led promotion had to cut one of their veteran fighters.

The fighter in question is Alex Morono, who came out for his 24th UFC outing last weekend. He faced off against newcomer Daniil Donchenko in the preliminary card. While expectations were high about Morono turning around his three-fight losing streak in the last fight of his UFC contract, the results turned out to be different. As such, he lost via unanimous decision, and following that came the brutal verdict of the leading MMA promotion.

UFC releases Alex Morono

According to a post by UFC Roster Watch on X, Alex Morono was one of the fighters who got cut following UFC Vegas 113. However, regarding the news, Morono is yet to provide a public statement on his departure. However, it seems he surely wanted another fight in the UFC as part of a proper sendoff.

After his loss to Daniil Donchenko, ‘The Great White’ went on to his social media handles to share his thoughts. “I didn’t get my hand raised, but I did get to show the MMA community what Houston vets are all about. This warhorse has some miles on him for damn sure. If this was my last ride, I’ll go out with my head held high,” wrote Morono in an Instagram post.

“In a perfect world, my next fight will be my last. The UFC has been my home for the last decade. Nowhere I’d rather fight. Nowhere I’d rather retire. I’m confident and hopeful they’ll give me one last dance,” he added.

While Morono was confident about getting a proper retirement fight in the UFC, the promotion released the welterweight veteran from the roster. But Morono wasn’t the only one who got cut.

Dana White-led promotion cuts Javid Basharat

While the release of Alex Morono after an underwhelming performance can be justified, what were UFC’s thoughts while cutting down Javid Basharat from the roster? Unlike Morono, Basharat won his fight at UFC Vegas 113 against short-notice opponent Gianni Vasquez. And not only that, but he also turned around from his two-fight losing streak.

But then again, it was the last fight of his UFC contract. Although the performance he put in against Vasquez could ignite debate about his release, the promotion had other plans. With that, Basharat will now be a free agent as UFC didn’t re-sign him. However, the Afghan fighter stands on a 15-2-0 (1 NC), and due to that, he could surely garner the attention of budding promotions in the world.

Apart from Basharat and Morono, featherweight fighter Lucas Almeida was released, who stood on a two-fight losing streak after a defeat at UFC Rio. All these developments are quite common after a UFC event. But did the promotion miss out on a star by not re-signing Basharat? Let us know in the comments below!