Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) continues to trim its expansive roster of mixed martial arts (MMA) talent.
Today (Weds., March 11, 2026), it was revealed that five fighters have been removed from UFC’s active roster, meaning they have been released from their respective contracts and/or the promotion decided not to extend them. Tom Feely and Guilherme Cruz both reported the news.
Kris Moutinho, Phil Rowe, Gavin Tucker, Erik Silva, and AJ Cunningham are the five fighters who lost their spots on
UFC’s active roster this time around.
Moutinho (14-8) has unfortunately lost his job for the second time after going winless during his second stint with the promotion.
The 33-year-old Bantamweight first came to prominence for surviving nearly three full rounds with Sean O’Malley before finally being finished in the closing seconds of the fight. After suffering another knockout loss in his next appearance, he was released. Following five wins on the regional scene — all by finish — Moutinho earned another short-notice call to the UFC but was knocked out by Malcolm Wellmaker (watch highlights) before dropping a unanimous decision to Cristian Quinonez at UFC Mexico City.
Moutinho exits the promotion with a 0-4 UFC record.
Rowe (11-7) struggled with injuries, layoffs, and inconsistency during his time with the promotion. After earning a contract on Season 3 of Contender Series in 2019, the knockout artist fought nine times in the UFC and missed weight three times. His four wins came against Orion Cosce (watch highlights), Jason Witt, Niko Price, and Ange Loosa.
He most recently lost to Jean-Paul Lebosnoyani and exits the promotion on a two-fight losing streak with a 4-5 UFC record.
Tucker (13-3) showed real promise during his run with the UFC, but injuries ultimately halted his momentum. As a result, the Canadian Featherweight has decided to retire from the sport.
Tucker dropped his final two fights against Diego Lopes and Dan Ige (watch highlights), but he also scored an impressive win over Billy Quarantillo — handing him his first UFC loss — along with a “Performance of the Night” submission victory over Justin Jaynes (watch highlights).
Tucker leaves the promotion with a 4-3 UFC record.
Silva (9-4) earned a contract on Season 6 of Dana White’s Contender Series in 2022 but only competed three times inside the Octagon, losing all three bouts — each by finish, most recently at UFC Mexico City.
The 38-year-old Venezuelan exits the promotion with a 0-3 UFC record.
After suffering a brutal loss on Season 7 of Contender Series, Cunningham (11-5) returned to the regional scene and picked up one win before receiving a short-notice call to face Ludovit Klein in his UFC debut, where he was stopped in the first round. In his second — and final — UFC appearance, he lost to Su Young You.
“The Savage” later announced his retirement from MMA due to injury, but just a week later it was revealed that he had signed with Dirty Boxing Championship.
Cunningham exits the UFC with an 0-2 record.
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