UFC confirms release of 15 fighters, including Ryan Jimmo and Hatsu Hioki

Ryan Jimmo

The UFC roster is a revolving door of talent. Fighters are frequently signed, and in turn, others are let go. The latter was the case for the 15 fighters recently handed their walking papers from the organization.

Most notable among the group of recently released fighters, which UFC officials confirmed to MMAjunkie, are light heavyweight Ryan Jimmo, featherweight Hatsu Hioki and welterweight Brian Ebersole.

Jimmo (19-5 MMA, 3-4 UFC) was a controversial member of the 205-pound class that spoke openly about his disdain toward certain aspects of UFC operation, specifically the new sponsorship agreement with Reebok.

Following his seven-second knockout of Anthony Perosh in his debut at UFC 149, Jimmo couldn’t get on a roll. He alternated wins and losses with the promotion before a two-fight skid against Francimar Barroso and Ovince Saint Preux spelled the end of his UFC tenure.

Hioki (27-9-2 MMA, 3-5 UFC) went from top 145-pound contender to unemployed in the stretch of eight UFC fights. He joined the organization in late-2011 as one of the top-ranked featherweights in the world. He opened his UFC career with two straight victories and was even offered a title shot against current champ Jose Aldo.

The Japanese fighter opted to decline the title fight in hopes of gaining more UFC experience. That decision backfired; Hioki would go on to lose five of his next six fights before his release. The final two losses in that skid were the most telling because Hioki suffered the first knockout and submission losses of his career.

Ebersole’s (51-17-1 MMA, 5-3 UFC) UFC career ends under more favorable circumstances. He announced his retirement from the sport following a TKO loss to Omari Akhmedov at UFC Fight Night 68 in June. As a result, his contract was terminated.

“Bad Boy” walked away from competition with just one win in his past four fights. However, Ebersole was a pro since his February 2000 debut and he managed to rack up more than 50 wins during his lengthy career.

Additional fighters to receive a UFC release include Lisa Ellis (15-10 MMA, 0-2 UFC), Jessica Rakoczy (1-5 MMA, 0-2 UFC), Zhang Lipeng (9-9-1 MMA, 2-2 UFC), Luiz Dutra (11-4-1 MMA, 0-2 UFC), Josh Sampo (11-5 MMA, 1-3 UFC), Justin Edwards (8-5 MMA, 2-5 UFC), Wendell Oliveira (24-9 MMA, 0-2 UFC), Nolan Ticman (4-3 MMA, 0-2 UFC), Dhiego Lima (10-4 MMA, 1-3 UFC), Andrew Todhunter (7-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) and Bentley Syler (5-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC).

Featherweight Robbie Peralta (18-6 MMA, 4-3 UFC) was the lone fighter in that group to part ways with the company despite a winning UFC record.

For more on the UFC’s upcoming schedule, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.