The UFC might have just had its last roster deduction of 2024. Since December 4, the promotion has been removing fighters from its roster for one reason or another.
Most recently, the UFC cut ties with Jared Gooden and Abu Azaitar.
In the final month of the year, the UFC has also removed Gabriel Benitez, Jack Shore, Stipe Miocic, and Damon Jackson from its roster.
Shore, Miocic and Jackson were removed because they retired. Benitez, 36, has lost two fights in a row and three of his last four.
He’s also missed weight twice in his UFC career, both times happening in the last four years. Benitez had very little chance to make a mark in the UFC, and all things considered, it makes sense for the promotion to move on from him.
Benitez hasn’t fought since he dropped a split decision to Maheshate Hayisaer in April.
Miocic and Jackson’s last fights were at UFC 309. They were both finished by UFC legends. Jim Miller submitted Jackson in the first round in a bounce-back performance after he was pummeled by Bobby Green at UFC 300 in April.
Jackson’s career ended with losses in four of his last five fights. Miller has been like the executioner for aging fighters in his weight region. Prior to Benitez’s loss to Hayisaer, he was also submitted by Miller.
Miocic was destroyed by Jon Jones in the main event of UFC 309. Predictably, he called it a career after the fight.
Shore’s retirement was a surprise to most. He’s only 29, and despite having hit a two-fight losing streak, his professional record was still a sparkling 17-3. As recently as 2022, Shore was considered one of the top rising featherweights in the promotion.
Shore cited a diminished love and motivation for competing as his reason for retiring. He plans to focus all of his attention on coaching.
Gooden and Azaitar’s situations were different from Miocic, Shore, and Jackson. They haven’t announced their retirements. Gooden, 31, lost his last fight against Chidi Njokuani and missed weight by 1.5 pounds.
Gooden has missed weight three times with the UFC, including twice in the past two years.
Azaitar’s inactivity, losses, and age likely played a role in his removal from the UFC roster. After battling his way to the UFC in 2018, Azaitar won his promotional debut via unanimous decision over Vitor Miranda.
The German by way of Morocco was inactive from July 2018 until 2020 when he had fights scheduled against Alessio Di Chirico and Joaquin Buckley. However, Azaitar withdrew from both fights.
Azaitar also tested positive for tamoxifen and/or tamoxifen metabolite 3-hydroxy-4-methoxy-tamoxifen as the result of urine samples collected on August 25, 2020, September 4, 2020, September 9, 2020, and September 17, 2020. The positive tests led to a seven-month suspension, which allowed him to fight in March 2021, where he was defeated by Marc-Andre Barriault via third-round TKO.
Azaitar didn’t fight again until October 2023 when he lost a unanimous decision to Sedriques Dumas. Azaitar was scheduled to return in June against Denis Tiuliulin, but he withdrew from the fight.
At 38, Azaitar could be at the end of his career as a mixed martial artist.
The UFC has consistently made room for new talent on its roster, and throughout the upcoming year, we will sometimes see fighters fighting for their spot on the roster—especially if they are at the end of their contracts.
