Topic: UFC Discussion
UFC Cuts Ali Bagautinov and Zach Makovsky
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01.26.2017 | 10:46 PM ET
By Mookie Alexander
Flyweight veterans Ali Bagautinov and Zach Makovsky are no longer on the UFC roster. MMAjunkie confirmed the news with UFC officials on Thursday, with the report noting that both men were “not being considered for new deals.” Bagautinov had been the #7 ranked flyweight, while Makovsky was #12.
Bagautinov (14-5) is coming off a unanimous decision loss to Kyoji Horiguchi at UFC Belfast in November. That fight marked his third defeat in his last four fights, one of which was a one-sided decision vs. reigning champion Demetrious Johnson. Bagautinov would later test positive for EPO after the Mighty Mouse bout, and he was suspended for one year. Upon his return, he lost to Joseph Benavidez at UFC 192, before beating Geane Herrera at UFC Ottawa last June. Bagautinov’s first three bouts inside the Octagon were triumphs vs. Marcos Vinicius, Tim Elliott, and John Lineker.
Makovsky (19-8) dropped a unanimous decision to Dustin Ortiz at last month’s UFC 206 in Toronto. “Fun Size” is on a three-fight losing skid, although he was perhaps unlucky not to get the nod over John Dodson at UFC 187. His other defeat was to Joseph Benavidez. Makovsky started his UFC career with wins over Scott Jorgensen and Josh Sampo, before losing to Jussier Formiga in August 2014. Zach’s last win came against Tim Elliott in February 2015.
The rankings have since been reshuffled, as Dustin Ortiz moved up from 9th to 7th, while Louis Smolka and Tim Elliott were bumped to 12th and 13th, respectively. Ben Nguyen and Geane Herrera have been promoted to the top 15, with Nguyen in 14th and Herrera in 15th.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Who needs ranked fighters anyway, right? I mean, what's better for providing legitimacy to your promotion as the best in the world, having the best of the best fight in your organization or just sign people for their looks like Sage "No Talent" Northcutt?
*sigh*
Thoughts?
"..."
Responses
01.26.2017 | 11:58 PM ET
01.27.2017 | 2:35 AM ET
"His legacy is money. My legacy is smesh." -Khabib
01.27.2017 | 8:06 AM ET
"Never go down without a fight"
01.27.2017 | 8:28 AM ET
"MMA Fan Since Season 2 Of The Ultimate Fighter"
01.27.2017 | 12:14 PM ET
01.27.2017 | 12:21 PM ET
"It does not make sense that humans deliberately malfunction. - Upgrade"
01.27.2017 | 12:40 PM ET
Regardless of records or PEDs or whatever, Makovsky and Bagautinov are top 15 flyweights that are desperately needed on the roster as the UFC's flyweight division is paper ******* thin. Add on the fact that they barely added only FOUR new flyweights post TUF 24 in Pantoja, Shelton, Moreno, and Elliot (and Elliot is going up to Bantamweight due to struggles with the weight cut to 125), the division is in need of as much talent as they can get their hands on; especially elite Flyweights like Bagautinov and Makovsky.
And the record argument goes out the ******* window when you realize they have a fighter in Artem Lobov, who has a record barely above 500, and CM Punk still on the roster.
"..."
01.27.2017 | 4:13 PM ET
"It does not make sense that humans deliberately malfunction. - Upgrade"
01.27.2017 | 4:14 PM ET
Concur with cutting 20% of the WW and LW roster, enough already...
01.27.2017 | 4:25 PM ET
"It does not make sense that humans deliberately malfunction. - Upgrade"
01.27.2017 | 7:07 PM ET
01.28.2017 | 12:12 AM ET
Well it's kind of hard for the media to keep up with all the up and coming talent in flyweight when the UFC barely sign any of it. It took them YEARS to sign Pantoja, a guy that should have been in the UFC a long ******* time ago. Meanwhile they have passed up on guys like Akhmetov, Ogikubo, Motoya, Bibulatov, Azevedo, Antolin, Menga, Wada, Saadeh, and Candido. All of which are UFC caliber Flyweights that should be on the roster.
Edit: But hey, if the UFC wants to shoot themselves in the foot and lean out 125 and have all their talent go to a competitor like RIZIN, I'm all good with that. Gives me even more of a reason to watch them over the UFC.
* Edited at 01.28.2017, 12:15 AM ET *
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01.28.2017 | 3:25 AM ET
"One does not hunt in order to kill; on the contrary, one kills in order to have hunted. If one were to present the sportsman with the death of the animal as a gift he would refuse it." Jose Ortega y Gasset
01.28.2017 | 9:52 AM ET
"The only thing predictable about MMA is that it is unpredictable."
01.28.2017 | 10:10 PM ET
* Edited at 01.28.2017, 10:15 PM ET *
"I have learned silence from the talkative, toleration from the intolerant, and kindness from the unkind; yet, strange, I am ungrateful to those teachers. -Khalil Gibran "
01.29.2017 | 11:12 AM ET
"The only thing predictable about MMA is that it is unpredictable."
01.29.2017 | 12:27 PM ET