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One of the toughest realities of life has to be the insecurity that comes along with being employed by a company. Jobs were never meant to be secure unless you were born with a silver spoon in your mouth. However, even the privileged ones haven't been assured of a spot on the UFC payroll, as would be evidenced later on in this article.
While many fighters have been let go due to lackluster performances, there have been various instances in which fighters and also the backstage employees have been booted out depending on varied reasons.
This slideshow takes a look at those controversial moments when a popular UFC employee was unceremoniously shown the exit:
#1 Miguel Torres
While Social Media has transformed into a platform to quick fame these days, it can also be the instrument that triggers a massive downfall.
Miguel Torres' lack of self-censorship on Twitter landed the American fighter in deep waters back in 2011. An avid fan of the Comedy Central show Workaholics, Torres quoted a rather unpleasant joke from the show and was met with stark criticism from all quarters.
Dana White wasted no time in cutting Torres off from the roster and immediately distanced the company from the storm that was brewing. However, Torres was rehired a couple of weeks later after some satisfactory damage control, and in case you're wondering, here's the line that got the former WEC Bantamweight Champion fired:
"If a rape van was called a surprise van more women wouldn't mind going for rides in them. Everyone likes surprises"
#2 Rousimar Palhares
Rousimar "Toquinho" Palhares doesn't fight to win but to hurt his opponents. While that is a common trait amongst most fighters, Palhares took it one step further by refusing to release submission holds despite his opponent tapping out and over the years, become known for the gruesome act.
The UFC was quite patient with the Brazillian Welterweight, but it all came to a head when Palhares made his Welterweight debut in the UFC after previously competing in the Middleweight division.
In a victorious effort, Palhares refused to let go of the heel hook he had applied on Mike Peirce despite the latter tapping out 8 times. Palhares refused to acknowledge the tap and continued to crank it up until the referee was forced to exercise some order.
Dana White and the UFC condemned the unsportsmanlike behavior and released the 38-year-old ground-game specialist a day later. An earlier incident when Palhares refused to release Tomasz Drwal from a heel hook in 2010 coupled with a drug suspension in 2012 added to the UFC's case of letting him go for good.
#3 Chandella Powell
Ring girls may seem unnecessary at times, but who doesn't want to watch Arianny Celeste walk around with useless signboards in between rounds of unhinged brutality?
There are a handful of ring girls who have managed to attain mainstream popularity by just blowing kisses into cameras and one such gorgeous lady is Chandella Powell.
Powell was quite the popular face during her time with the UFC until a forgettable past came back to haunt her. A series of nudes featuring the first-ever African American UFC ring girl surfaced all over the internet, forcing the UFC to address the issue.
It is rumored that Powell was immediately shown the door after failing to disclose details of her softcore past. Under the moniker Mariah Ashton, Powell was part of a one-off photo shoot that would eventually cost her the UFC gig.
Remember folks, you just can't stop the internet!
#4 Stitch Duran
Jacob 'Stitch' Duran is possibly one of the most popular figures in the combat sports world despite not being an active fighter. Regarded as one of the best cutmen in the business, Duran was the go-to guy for the UFC for all of their top fights and commanded great respect from the fighters.
Stitch was quite the honest spokesperson too. He was one of the biggest detractors of the UFC-Reebok sponsorship deal and his aggressive stance didn't go down well with the company's top brass.
As part of the Zuffa-Reebok deal, the Cutmen would no longer earn money from the sponsorships they carried on their clothes during events and what made matters worse was that Reebok would not compensate for the losses.
Duran's unfiltered rant led to his unceremonious firing from the promotion. Despite public outrage against the move -- that included fighters expressing their displeasure over the ouster -- the legendary cutman was not rehired and currently works for Bellator while also taking up boxing assignments occasionally.
#5 Mass Firings: Chuck Liddell, Matt Hughes, Mike Goldberg and more
From risking lives inside the barbarous cage to sitting in a cushy office with nothing but orders to give out; UFC Hall of Famers Chuck Liddell and Matt Huges couldn't have asked for a better retirement plan.
It was all going according to plan until WME-IMG bought UFC for a whopping $4.2 Billion and the first agenda after the massive takeover was the dreaded cost cutting.
Liddell and Hughes, who had both held executive designations for many years where told to step down from their respective positions by the new owners and Dana White, despite promising the legends lifetime jobs, had no power whatsoever.
Here are quotes from White himself courtesy of BloodyElbow:
“The Chuck Liddell, Matt Hughes thing, during the ZUFFA era, those were my guys. I wanted them to retire, I respected these guys. They helped build this company when I was growing it and I told them both, I said, ‘Unless I drop dead or it comes to a position sometime where I’m not controlling how much money is being spent and all that stuff, you guys will get a paycheck until that day.’ And that day came. The thing with Matt and Chuck, it was a loyalty thing for me. It was my gift to them or being the guys that they were when me, Frank and Lorenzo, when it was our money."
While the departures of Hughes and the Iceman were understandable, the unforeseen firing of long-time play-by-play commentator Mike Goldberg came as a shock to everyone, Goldberg included. Joe Rogan's better half has since mentioned his disappointment on the circumstances that led to his firing and the lack of affirmation from the UFC's side.
