UFC releases 'TUF 19' winner Eddie Gordon

Eddie Gordon

Even with the status of a winner of “The Ultimate Fighter” reality series, Eddie Gordon could not escape the seemingly inevitable fate that comes with a three-fight UFC losing skid.

Gordon (7-4 MMA, 1-3 UFC) today announced today he’s been released from the UFC after just one victory in four middleweight appearances with the organization (via Facebook).

“Truck” won Season 19 of “TUF” when he stopped Dhiego Lima by 71-second knockout at The Ultimate Fighter 19 Finale in July 2014. The finish was among the fastest in TUF Finale history, but it’s about the only success Gordon saw inside the octagon.

Gordon suffered a 2014 “Knockout of the Year” candidate loss to Josh Samman at UFC 181 in December. Samman landed a perfectly placed head kick in the second round.

The second straight loss for Gordon came at UFC on FOX 15 in April, when he dropped a somewhat controversial split decision to Chris Dempsey in a fight 13 of 16 media outlets on MMADecisions.com scored in Gordon’s favor.

Gordon got final chance to get back on track at UFC Fight Night 70 in July, when he was pitted against “TUF: Brazil 3” winner Antonio Carlos Junior. The 32-year-old lasted for more than two rounds but was caught in a fight-ending submission with less than 30 seconds remaining in the final frame.

The losing skid put Gordon in an unenviable position; he became just the second of more than 30 domestic and international “TUF” winners to drop three straight UFC bouts after winning the tournament final. Colton Smith, who was released earlier this year, was the first.

Following his most recent loss, Gordon announced his intentions to drop to the welterweight division for the first time in hopes it’d lead to one more UFC opportunity. He won’t get it – for now, anyway – but Gordon said he still intends to make the switch in weight class with the goal of eventually working his way back to the UFC roster.

For more on the UFC’s upcoming schedule, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.