The UFC has released five fighters from its roster, four of which are Brazilian.
Takanori Gomi, Hacran Dias, Henrique da Silva, Adriano Martins and Carlos Felipe are no longer with the company, according to a report by Combate.
Takanori Gomi (35-14, with 1 no-contest) is probably the biggest name among the four. The 39 year old is a Pride veteran and has fought all across the world for decades. However, his last five fights in the UFC have come by first-round stoppage, including four knockouts. He hasn’t won a bout since April 2014. In total, the Japanese star has only won four of 13 fights since he joined the UFC in 2010.
Hacran Dias (23-6-1) signed with the UFC back in 2012, after winning 20 of 22 fights in other organizations. Training out of Nova Uniao, Dias racked up a 3-5 record inside the Octagon. But his last three fights starting early in 2016 have been decision losses to Cub Swanson, Andre Fili and Jared Gordon.
Henrique da Silva (12-4) had a good start in the UFC last year. He finished Jonathan Wilson and Joachim Christensen, but has lost four in a row since, the most recent of which was a first-round knockout to promotional debutant Gokhan Saki in a fight he was very close to winning.
Adriano Martins (28-9) began his UFC career by winning four of seven bouts and accruing three fight bonuses among them. However, the Lightweight is now released from the promotion following back-to-back defeats to Leonardo Santos and Kajan Johnson.
Carlos Felipe (8-0), is somewhat of a unique case, as he was cut from the UFC before he got a chance to step foot inside the cage. The Heavyweight fighter was issued a two-year suspension after failing an out-of-competition drug administered by USADA test ahead of planned debut fight with Christian Colombo at UFC Sao Paulo.
None of these cuts are egregious, but it is telling that four of the five are Brazilain. Foreign fighters are notoriously hard to market in the English dominated sport, and while it may rubs many wrong, the UFC strongly weighs marketability in decisions to to keep fighters around.
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