The UFC has parted ways with talented but skidding welterweight Trevin Giles following his second bizarre weight-cutting mishap. According to Giles on Instagram, he asked to be released and the UFC granted his request.
“To all my family and friends, thank you so much for all the support throughout the years,” Giles wrote in the caption for a post on Instagram. “Just recently I requested to be released from the UFC and they have granted my request. Fighting in the UFC has been a hell of an experience. I’ve been at this for a long time now and I’ve known for a while that I would stop fighting soon. My life is pulling me in a different direction and I am grateful and excited to see what’s next. Thanks again for all the love and support.”
Giles stepped in to replace Jeremiah Wells and was set to face Andreas Gustafsson on short notice at the snake-bitten UFC Vegas 107 card that wound up with just nine fights on the ledger and a scrapped main event.
However, Giles was forced to pull out of the fight due to an injury suffered during his weight cut. The fight was made a catchweight to allow Giles a realistic chance of being ready to fight, but there were issues.
According to Gustafsson, Giles fell and hit his head during the weight cut and that’s what pushed him out of the fight. No matter the specifics, this was the second time in Giles’ career that he’s pulled out of a fight at the last minute.
Back in 2020, Giles pulled out of a fight against Kevin Holland after fainting hours before he was to step into the Octagon. There were indications that it could have been holdover effects from a tough weight cut, but Holland accused Giles of intentionally fainting to avoid the fight.
That kind of history doesn’t normally sit well with Dana White and his staff. In any case, Giles, 32, is a talented mixed martial artist.
Athletically, he’s in a higher tier than many of the men and women who compete in the UFC. Most of his losses have come against guys who proved to be legit contenders like Gabriel Bonfim, Mike Malott, Carlos Prates, Michael Morales, and reigning UFC middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis.
Giles even owns a win over Roman Dolidze.
The guy was booked about as hard as any non-ranked fighter in UFC history. Even still, he leaves the promotion with a 7-7 record under the banner but on a three-fight losing streak.
Giles has a career in law enforcement and a beautiful family that he proudly shares on social media.
And it sounds like he’s calling it a career.
If he did want to continue, Giles could be a solid opponent for someone in the Professional Fighters League.
However, based on what we’ve seen during weight cuts, in the Octagon, and on social media with his family, I’m rooting for Giles to pursue that next chapter in his life. I wish him the best.
