Maybe it was the slap. Perhaps it was the back-to-back losses. In any case, the UFC has reportedly decided to part ways with Victoria Dudakova and four other fighters.
According to UFC Roster Watch, Dudakova, Josefine Knutsson, Ihor Potieria, Magomed Gadzhiyasulov, and Jose Johnson were all removed from the promotion’s roster on Friday, January 24.
Dudakova went viral on January 11 following her second-round TKO loss to Fatima Kline at UFC Vegas 101. Following the loss, Dudakova slapped her husband/coach Gasanali Gasanaliev.
According to an apology on Instagram days after the incident, Dudakova was upset that Gasanaliev didn’t come to her aid quickly enough following the loss.
In any case, the 25-year-old is seemingly headed back to the drawing board. After earning a UFC contract with a unanimous decision win over Maria Silva in August 2022 on the Dana White Contender Series, Dudakova won her first two fights.
Unfortunately, she lost the next two, and the UFC has seemingly chosen to part ways with her. Because of her youth, she could fight her way back, or perhaps she is headed to fight for another organization.
Josefine Knutsson
Knutsson suffered the first loss of her MMA career at UFC Tampa in December, but that was seemingly enou gh for her to move on. Knutsson was drafted by the Global Fight League on Friday and is likely headed to their London-based team.
Ihor Potieria
Potieria had a really rough stint with the UFC, and quite honestly, it’s surprising he lasted this long. After earning his spot on the roster with a first-round TKO win over Łukasz Sudolski in September 2021 on the DWCS, it’s been mostly downhill for the Brazilian.
He lost his main-roster debut in June 2022 via TKO to Nicolae Negumereanu. Potieria rebounded by pounding a washed Mauricio “Shogun” Rua in January 2023 at UFC 283. Many Brazilian fans didn’t appreciate the savage beatdown he gave to the legend.
Following that win, Potieria was stopped by Carlos Ulberg in May 2023 and Rodolfo Bellato in December. Potieria got one more win in the UFC when he defeated Robert Bryczek via unanimous decision in February 2024—but he missed weight for the fight.
Potieria was then choked out by Michel Pereira in May 2024, lost a unanimous decision to Cesar Almeida in October 2024, and was knocked out by Marco Tulio on January 11—in another fight that saw him miss weight.
A 2-6 run with two weight misses is a definite formula for being released–especially when you’re getting finished in most of the losses.
Jose Johnson
Similarly, Johnson was 2-3 in the UFC with a weight miss in his last loss to Felipe Burnes on January 11. His career record is a modest 16-10.
Magomed Gadzhiyasulov
Gadzhiyasulov’s release was a little more confusing. The 31-year-old Russian is 9-1. He took his first pro loss on January 11 to Bruno Lopes. Gadzhiyasulov wasn’t drafted by the GFL, so we’ll see where he lands next.
In any case, it seems losing on the first card of 2025 was something of a death sentence for multiple fighters.
