"About time. Dan Hooker next" - MMA fans give cut-throat reactions to UFC reportedly cutting Israel Adesanya's teammate 'Blood Diamond'

It was recently reported that Israel Adesanya's City Kickboxing teammate Blood Diamond had been cut from the UFC roster. Real name Mike Mathetha, the New Zealander was 0-3 in the promotion, losing to Jeremiah Wells and Orion Cosce before dropping a unanimous decision against Charles Radtke at UFC 293.

With a professional record of 3-3, many believed the welterweight fighter got his UFC contract only because of his close relationship with the former middleweight champion. Mathetha last tasted victory in February 2020 against Dimps Gillies at Eternal MMA 50. Before that, he lost a kickboxing contest against the UFC's newest middleweight sensation, Sharabutdin Magomedov.

After popular algorithm-based tweet bot @UFCRosterTracker confirmed that Blood Diamond had been cut from the promotion, fans flocked to the tweet's comments section to express their thoughts.

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One fan claimed Blood Diamond had it coming and joked that Adesanya's other CKB teammate and close friend, Dan Hooker, should be next. They wrote:

"About time. Dan Hooker next."

Another fan wrote:

"He only lasted this long coz of 'Izzy' anyway. With 'Izzy' retired, no need to keep him."

One user wrote:

"Should've been after his debut."

Check out some more reactions below:

Chase Hooper uses Blood Diamond as an example to theorize why Dillon Danis could be signed by the UFC

Chase Hooper recently claimed that Dillon Danis could fight in the octagon someday and cited Blood Diamond as an example to prove his point.

After Danis lost his boxing debut against Logan Paul earlier this month, 'El Jefe' was released from Bellator MMA, where he competed as a welterweight. Soon after his release, Danis relentlessly campaigned for a UFC contract on social media and called on Dana White to give him a shot.

During an interview with Piers Morgan, Danis explained why he should be given a chance to prove himself in the world's premier MMA promotion and said:

"I want to go to the UFC. I think the UFC will see my potential in selling fights and everything like that."

Given that Dillon Danis only has two MMA bouts on his professional record, many dismissed the idea of the 30-year-old jiu-jitsu savant featuring in the UFC. However, Chase Hooper believes it's entirely possible. He tweeted:

“I hate to say it, but after looking at Izzy’s guy Blood Diamond who is 35 and got signed at 3-0, Dillon being boys with Conor and 2-0 at 30 years old… my guy might get signed… mainly off the Conor part, but still.”

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Nishant brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to his MMA reporting for Sportskeeda. During his 1.5 years with the organization and previous work, Nishant has established himself as a prolific writer in the MMA community. With a Bachelor's degree in Media and Journalism and a Master's degree in International Relations, Nishant's educational background enhances his analytical and reporting skills.

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Edited by Jigyanshushri Mahanta