Pink Slip Saturdays is a new addition to MMARatings.net, where Adam will write about five fighters on each card who could literally be fighting for their job, given UFC president Dana White’s recent comments about cutting 100 fighters from the roster.
Opponent at UFC 160: Donald Cerrone
MMA Record: 11-6 (0-0 UFC)
Why he could be cut: Although KJ Noons is a very exciting fighter, and although the UFC did a great job of matching him up with Donald Cerrone in his first bout in the Octagon, a fight that promises to be exciting to the fans, there’s no doubt in my mind Noons has to win or look impressive to avoid the dreaded pink slip.
The Hawaiian has lost four of his last five fights, and although three of the losses were to highly-regarded fighters Nick Diaz, Josh Thomson, and Jorge Masvidal, he lost via split decision to Ryan Couture in his last outing (robbery or not), and he absolutely needs a big W on Saturday night to get a second fight in the UFC.
Opponent at UFC 160: Nah-Shon Burrell
MMA Record: 6-1 (1-1 UFC)
Why he could be cut: Stephen Thompson is for sure one of the best sport karate fighters to ever compete in mixed martial arts, but just because he has flashy kicks and had a great head kick KO in his UFC debut doesn’t mean he can afford another loss on his record and keep his job with the UFC.
While yes, in hindsight a decision loss to Matt Brown doesn’t look so bad now, at the time the loss was considered an upset, and that was over a year ago. Thompson hasn’t fought since due to various injuries, and so, with the prospect of a second loss in a row on the docket, Thompson absolutely needs to defeat Nah-Shon Burrell on Saturday night to continue fighting for the world’s top MMA promotion.
Opponent at UFC 160: Stephen Thompson
MMA Record: 9-2 (1-0 UFC)
Why he could be cut: Nah-Shon Burrell is a fun fighter to watch, but when you miss weight you piss off the powers that be at Zuffa, and Burrell has struggled to make weight in both of his UFC fights so far. He missed in his UFC debut against Yuri Villefort at UFC 157, then missed on his first attempt at UFC 160, and although he later made weight, the struggle didn’t go unnoticed, as UFC president Dana White was clearly seen pulling Burrell aside on the stage and giving him a stern talking to.
Burrell is a young fighter with some solid potential, but he needs to get his weight in check. However, he might not have another chance to do so if he loses to Thompson on Saturday night, because another L could lead to the UFC cutting ties with him while he works on learning how to cut weight properly.
Opponent at UFC 160: Brian Bowles
MMA Record: 13-9-1 (3-5 UFC)
Why he could be cut: George Roop has fought in the UFC on-and-off for quite a long time, but has never been able to put together a win streak. In a loaded bantamweight division, Roop has to start stringing together wins in order to keep his job, and it all starts Saturday night against Brian Bowles.
Roop is a solid fighter, and he’s an intriguing competitor at 135 because he stands 6’1” tall, but just because you have a tall frame doesn’t mean you are guaranteed to keep your job, so Roop will be in a must-win situation at UFC 160, even if he doesn’t know it.
Opponent at UFC 160: Estevan Payan
MMA Record: 20-9 (7-8 UFC)
Why he could be cut: Jeremy Stephens has always been a good soldier for Zuffa, a fighter who the promotion could slot in on any card and always expect an entertaining fight out of it, but after losing three in a row and getting into legal troubles, it’s clear he’s in a must-win situation on Saturday night against Estevan Payan.
Sure, while UFC president Dana White is a fan of Stephens for his bring-it style, it’d be hard to keep him on the roster with a fourth straight loss on his record, so look for Stephens to give it his all at UFC 160 as he looks to stave off a pink slip.
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UFC 160: Velasquez vs. Bigfoot II is due to take place on May 25, 2013 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Click the stars to rate how good you think UFC 160 will be.
Cant wait for ufc to cut 100 guys.
Getting kind of tired of watching good fighters like Noons or Hunt or Nelson or Cain vs Bigfoot 2 getting set up for one guy to lose by joe silva while he sets up bullshit like chael sonnen vs jon jones.
I'd like to see 100 guys in another organization.