The Pink Slip: Who Might Be Cut After UFC 301?

The action emanated from Farmasi Arena in Rio de Janeiro in full throttle as 13 sets of athletes, spread across eight divisions, made the walk to the Octagon to deliver resounding action. In a rare bit of matchmaking perfection, every fight at UFC 301 featured a Brazilian fighter against a foreigner. The early slate produced several decisions and three TKO finishes that set the tone for the five-fight main card. From there, it was a unified accomplishment of the Brazilian upswing surge as all the native fighters except for Vitor Petrino managed to pull off victories.

In the wake of these victories, attention shifts to some vanquished fighters left in the gloaming backlight, facing career uncertainty. Let’s take a closer look at some of the fighters who confront the grim prospect of the looming pink slip.

Kevin Borjas

Borjas received a UFC contract rising through Dana White's Contender Series ranks with a unanimous decision win over Victor Dias in August 2023. However, he hasn’t measured up to the challenges presented in the world’s premier MMA organization, falling to a two-fight losing skid, most recently against Alessandro Costa at UFC 301. Costa was locked on to the goal from the onset, staggering Borjas late in the first round. Hell-bent on securing the win, he amped up the ferocity in the subsequent round, chopping down the foundation of his foe with a stinging calf kick. From there, a relentless onslaught of ground-and-pound ensued which led to the finish at the 1:35 mark of the second round.

With two consecutive losses, it is hard to say whether he will be cut from the roster immediately. However, it doesn’t work to his advantage for sure and the 26-year-old, with time in his hand, should dissect his mistakes and reevaluate his path going forward.

Dodging The Bullet

While other names on the card, including the likes of Jamie Mullarkey and Paul Craig, have registered below-par outings, their long-standing status in the UFC might aid lengthier career sustainability. For a select few like Vinc Pichel and Joaquim Silva, the losses although not alarming, can snowball into a perturbing period if the stretch continues. Ukrainian middleweight Ihor Potieria, who fell victim to a spectacular Round 1 club-and-sub by Michel Pereira, now sits at 2-4 in the UFC but may get a reprieve thanks to the short-notice booking and the fact that Pereira’s submission was set up in part by an apparently illegal somersault knee to the head while Potieria was grounded.