Two heavyweight fighters, Jairzinho Rozenstruik and Jamal Pogues, have been released from the UFC roster following their recent losses in Saudi Arabia.
UFC officials confirmed the roster changes to MMA Fighting on Monday.
Rozenstruik, a veteran with 15 fights in the octagon, started his UFC career strong with four consecutive knockout victories, including a comeback win against Alistair Overeem in 2019. However, his momentum was halted by a quick knockout loss to Francis Ngannou. Despite managing to put together a two-fight win streak, he suffered a decision loss to Sergei Pavlovich at the recent UFC Saudi Arabia event, leading to his removal from the roster with a record of 9-6.
On the other hand, Pogues’ UFC journey came to an end after a split decision loss to Hamdy Abdelwahab, bringing his overall record with the promotion to 2-2. Despite his disagreement with the judges’ decision, Pogues now finds himself no longer part of the UFC roster.
Fighters who are released from the UFC roster may explore opportunities with other promotions or potentially make a return to the UFC in the future.