Among a slew of fight announcements from Dana White was the news of a fighter's release from the UFC. The fans could not have been more upset with the update.In the early morning of December 22, the UFC Roster Watch handle on X announced the release of fan-favorite heavyweight Parker Porter.Moments after announcing the 38-year-old's release, the UFC Roster Watch also posted the release of flyweight Shannon Ross. However, the fans did not react in the same way.Despite having just a 14-9 record, including 4-4 in the octagon, fans grew fond of the American heavyweight as he quickly became an internet meme figure. His physique, personality and alliterate name, combined with his cardio-based fight style, attracted fan attention.Though he entered the promotion with a violent loss to Chris Daukaus, he most notably strung together a three-fight win streak, including two upset wins and nearly cracked the UFC rankings. Unfortunately, the Connecticut native would run into the untimely heavyweight debut of Jailton Almeida, beginning the end of his promotional run.To begin this year, he suffered knockout losses to Justin Tafa and Braxton Smith. The 38-year-old last fought in August, sustaining another first-round knockout against Justin's brother Junior Tafa.Fan reactions carried across all platforms, including X, Instagram and Reddit. Some even referred to him as their 'hero,' clearly upset at the idea of no longer having mainstream access to the icon's future fights.Fan reaction to Parker Porter being released by the UFC [via r/MMA on Reddit]Here are few other reactions:"Portermaniacs, signing out ✊😞""They just didn't want him to get the Jon Jones rematch""I just fell to my knees in my local Walmart. I'm stunned and can't breathe""Guess I'm never watching MMA again""End of an era""Maybe he'll go to PFL for a super fight with Francis"Fan reactions to Parker Porter's release from the UFC [via r/MMA on Reddit]