How a Recent UFC Roster Cut Affects the Heavyweight Division
After his loss at UFC Fight Night 113 this past Saturday, ranked Heavyweight Contender Jailton Almeida was released by the UFC earlier today. This may surprise some die-hard fans of the sport, as Almeida was ranked eighth before his release, and typically, higher-ranked fighters do not get dropped from the roster so quickly. His loss to Rizvan Kuniev on Saturday was nothing but lackluster, losing by unanimous decision and not following through on any of his eight takedown attempts. With this sudden roster cut, what does this mean for the Heavyweight Division going forward?
It is no secret that the UFC Heavyweight Division is in a weird position currently, with the current undisputed champion, Tom Aspinall, out for quite some time after having eye surgery on both eyes. The UFC will most likely look to book a new interim championship fight for the belt or completely strip Aspinall. Nevertheless, Almeida’s release reveals that there needs to be more excitement coming out of Heavyweight fights from now on. The former Heavyweight was 8-3 in the UFC, but his back-to-back losses are most likely what cost him a permanent spot on the roster. Both of his recent losses were uneventful, to say the least, with his opponents, Kuniev and Alexander Volkov, significantly outstriking him.
In a division that is expected to be more powerful and exciting than any other division in the UFC, the Heavyweight fighters need to be putting more effort into their fights. Previous eras of the division saw big names competing against each other, such as the trilogy of fights between Stipe Miocic and Daniel Cormier. It’s fair to say that the division is certainly not what it once was, but Almeida’s release definitely sends a message to all of the other guys in the division to step up their game. With the belt potentially up for grabs in the near future, there are plenty of fighters in the division who are hungry and ready to make a name for themselves. This roster cut, hopefully, sets the stage for a change that would bring UFC fans back to the glory days of the Heavyweight division.
