“MMA is on a recession.” The famed MMA journalist, Ariel Helwani, claimed so during his interaction with Eddie Hearn, and it was all based on one thing: Hearn was unable to name even six stars from the UFC. And now, Dana White has picked up the pace in firing his fighters. He had already removed 9 fighters from the roster in April. And now, reports claim that the UFC head honcho has removed one more fighter from the roster. 

Yes, Brad Tavares became the 10th fighter to be removed from the UFC roster within a month. The Hawaii-born middleweight contender had put 16 wins and 10 defeats on his UFC record. He spent a total of 15 years in the MMA promotion and fought legendary fighters like Israel Adesanya, Dricus Du Plessis, Robert Whittaker, and Chris Weidman. While he couldn’t secure a win against Adesanya, Whittaker, and Du Plessis, he defeated Weidman via a unanimous decision at UFC 292. Following that, he went on a 2-fight losing streak and finally secured a victory against Gerald Meerschaert at UFC Vegas 105. 

Despite coming off a victory in his last bout, White decided to let Tavares go. Needless to say, the 37-year-old was heartbroken by the decision. But do you know how Tavares manages to overcome such losses? After losing to Robert Whittaker in just 44 seconds, Tavares told MMA Junkie Radio, “I’m just glad I accept it. It’s one of those things. It’s not that I don’t care about it; it definitely leaves a bitter taste in my mouth, but I know that it’s part of the sport, and it makes me hungry to get back in there.” 

With his philosophy regarding the losses, we can certainly expect the middleweight star to keep on rising as a professional mixed martial artist. But do you know about the other nine fighters that White released within the month? Let’s take a look at that.

All fighters that Dana White removed from the roster in 2025

Right after the events of UFC 313, Dana White removed Julio Arce, Josh Culibao, Taylor Lapilus, Jonathan Pearce, Kleydson Rodrigues, and Cody Stamann from the roster. Stamann seemingly had it coming with a 3-fight losing streak, blotting his UFC record, with his last fight ending in a disappointing first-round submission defeat. Rodrigues was on a 2-fight losing streak. But before that, he missed weight in two of his bouts, one of which had to be canceled. Pearce had also lost 3 back-to-back bouts, with his last bout against Pat Sabatini ending in just over 4 minutes. 

Furthermore, Seung Woo Choi, Diana Belbiţă, and Istela Nunes were released early in April 2025. It was possibly because of their last couple of defeats. However, some fighters were removed from the roster even though they won their last bouts with great finesse. 

Arce had a story similar to Tavares. He won his last bout against Herbert Burns via a second-round KO. But unfortunately, his poor weight management was likely the reason that got him off the roster. Lapilus, on the other hand, was on a 2-fight winning spree. His UFC record showed his potential with 6 wins and 2 losses. His removal indeed sparked a bit of tension in the fighting community. 

What are your thoughts on the release of Brad Tavares? Do you think the UFC should be a bit more hesitant while firing fighters from the roster? Let us know what you think in the comments down below.