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The UFC’s roster has been heavily fluid for years, with fighters coming and going constantly, and new stars being signed to replace older ones.
The UFC cuts fighters from its roster on a regular basis, but some of those cuts often turn out to be surprising. That's particularly the case when they see a fighter with high potential sent packing.
Often, the promotion has good reason for cutting these fighters, but it’s still jarring to see them suddenly on the outside looking in after being on the cusp of stardom.
With that in mind, here are five UFC fighters who were cut before they reached their potential.
#5. Aspen Ladd – former UFC bantamweight contender
The most recent example of a fighter who was released by the UFC before they had a chance to reach their potential is Aspen Ladd, who was cut from her contract just last week.
At the time of her release, Ladd was still considered one of the better prospects in the bantamweight division despite suffering three losses in her last four fights. In fact, she’d headlined an event as recently as October 2021.
Despite this, it’s clear that the promotion did have good reason for cutting Ladd loose. Since being signed to a contract in 2017, she had often been involved in weight-cutting controversies, with issues surrounding her attempts to make the 135lb bantamweight cutoff outright forcing her out of a number of fights.
When she again failed to hit her mark for her scheduled bout with veteran Sara McMann in September, forcing the fight to be canceled, Dana White and company had clearly had enough.
White stated that he didn’t really want to cut such a talented fighter, but “part of the job is making weight,” which she’d failed to do on too many occasions.
Whether Ladd will return in the future to live up to her potential remains to be seen, but either way, this one should go down as an unfortunate but justified example of a fighter being sent packing from the UFC too soon.
#4. Corey Anderson – former UFC light heavyweight contender
For a UFC fan, there are few things more frustrating than seeing a fighter leave the promotion and instantly find success in a rival organization, particularly if the feeling is that the fighter was let go a little too soon.
That was definitely the case for Corey Anderson, who was strangely released from his deal in early 2020 following his knockout loss to Jan Blachowicz.
Quite why the promotion was willing to let ‘Overtime’ go remains somewhat of a mystery. Not only was Anderson the light heavyweight winner of TUF 19, but he also had a great record in the octagon, going 10-5 overall and claiming wins over Johnny Walker, Ilir Latifi and Glover Teixeira.
Indeed, since departing, Anderson has proven that Dana White and company probably made an error. He’s gone 3-0 with one no contest in Bellator MMA, and even beat Ryan Bader in October 2021.
Anderson may well return to the octagon in the future, but for now, he stands as an example of a fighter who was released far too quickly.
#3. Elias Theodorou – former UFC middleweight contender
Last month saw the tragic announcement that former UFC middleweight contender Elias Theodorou had passed away at the age of just 34 following a battle with cancer.
While ‘The Spartan’ hadn’t fought in the octagon since 2019, it’s fair to say that he made a decent impact there. In hindsight, he was cut from the promotion far too soon despite having genuine elite-level potential.
Theodorou won 2014’s TUF: Nations middleweight bracket by stopping fellow Canadian Sheldon Westcott. He then picked up victories over the likes of Dan Kelly, Eryk Anders and Sam Alvey inside the octagon, putting together an overall record of 8-3.
However, ‘The Spartan’ came under fire for a supposed safety-first approach. He ended up being cut following a loss to Derek Brunson, who was ranked in the division’s top 10 at the time.
Theodorou’s release didn’t sit right at all, particularly as he was a charismatic and marketable fighter. Indeed, he proved that he still belonged at the top by reeling off three wins on the regional circuit after his departure.
Sure, his battle with cancer would probably have prevented him from making it to the top of the UFC, but the fact remains that he should never have left when he did. With that said, hestands as an example of a fighter who was cut before he had the chance to reach his potential.
#2. Anthony Johnson – former UFC light heavyweight contender
Newer UFC fans will probably remember Anthony ‘Rumble’ Johnson’s run to the top of the light heavyweight division well. While he didn’t win gold inside the octagon, he came very close to beating Daniel Cormier for the 205lb title in 2015, and picked up huge wins over the likes of Glover Teixeira, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira and Ryan Bader.
However, while there was no controversy in the way he departed the promotion in 2017 – he chose to hang up his gloves – his first departure, back in 2012, was definitely a little questionable. While the UFC’s choice to let him go was justified, it was still a shocker at the time.
Johnson had been competing at welterweight since his octagon debut in 2007, but he’d also struggled to make the 170lb limit. So, when a move to 185lbs was announced for early 2012, it made plenty of sense.
However, ‘Rumble’ missed weight for his bout with Vitor Belfort in spectacular fashion, coming in at 197lbs. When he subsequently lost to ‘The Phenom’, the weight miss was enough to see him cut.
Sure, it was understandable that the promotion wanted to let him go in order to send him a message, but it was still jarring to see such a talented fighter cut from the roster before he had the chance to reach his potential.
Thankfully, of course, ‘Rumble’ had that chance when he returned in 2014. It’s fair to say that he absolutely made the most of it.
#1. Todd Duffee – former UFC heavyweight contender
While the likes of Aspen Ladd and Anthony Johnson were cut before they reached their potential for justifiable reasons, the same cannot be said for Todd Duffee, who was released at a point when he appeared to be one of the heavyweight division’s brightest prospects.
Duffee burst into the UFC in mid-2009 with an undefeated record of 5-0. When he needed just seven seconds to knock out opponent Tim Hague in his octagon debut, it was hard not to get excited.
With a cartoonishly muscular physique and phenomenal athleticism, Duffee looked like a future champion. That feeling didn’t really change when he suffered a stunning knockout loss at the hands of Mike Russow in his next fight in 2010.
However, before he could look to bounce back from the loss, Duffee was unexpectedly cut from his contract, with Dana White suggesting that “attitude problems” were to blame.
For his part, Duffee himself denied this and stated that he couldn’t understand his release, which massively frustrated fans online who thought that he had the potential to break into the elite level.
In the end, after just two fights on the smaller circuit, Duffee was brought back to the UFC. However,a series of unfortunate injuries then wrecked his career despite him again showing flashes of greatness.
Duffee hung up his gloves in 2021 and he remains one of the greatest examples of untapped potential in MMA history. Quite what he could’ve achieved had he not been cut from his deal in 2010 remains a tantalising thought.
