With UFC still not overly throwing its struggling, mid-card fighters into new sister promotion Strikeforce, roster spots remain limited in the leading mixed martial arts promotion. Consequently, fighters on losing streaks are still subject to release.
The latest victims apparently include welterweight John Howard and lightweight Andre Winner. UFC did not release a public statement on either release, but Howard confirmed his release in a video while Winner’s manager reported his client’s roster cut to various MMA media outlets.
Never a technical sensation, the Boston-based John Howard started to gain traction as a prospect with victories in his first four UFC fights, the latter two of which ended via knockout. His limitations, unfortunately, caused problems against Jake Ellenberger and Thiago Alves, who both decisively defeated the fighter.
Howard had an opportunity to turn things around against Matt Brown at UFC on Versus 4, but Brown pulled off the unanimous decision victory in a critically-panned fight. With three consecutive losses, Howard lost his spot on the UFC roster.
“Ultimate Fighter” runner-up Winner, meanwhile, won his first two post-competition bouts before running into the brick wall that was Nik Lentz at UFC 118. Viewed as one of the most boring fights in years, the battle entirely centered on Lentz working for takedown attempts. Though Lentz did little damage, Winner had no answer for Lentz’s assault and lost the decision.
He returned for a submission loss to Dennis Siver at UFC 122 and most recently lost a decision to Anthony Njokuani at UFC 132, which prompted his release.