Monday, September 13, 2010

Time away from UFC may not be such a bad thing

Keith Jardine has lost his five last fights, his latest was this last Saturday at Shark Fights 13 against Trevor Prangley by split decision.  His previous four losses were in the UFC organization.

Jardine , who at one point was rising in the light heavyweight division with wins over Chuck Liddell and Forrest Griffin, was just one of many fighters cut from UFC this last year.  Other notable cuts from the organization include Kimbo Slice, Houston Alexander, and Paul Daley, who was cut from the roster because of a sucker punch he delivered to Josh Koscheck immediately after losing the fight.

For these, and other fighters, leaving UFC for a time may not be the end any fighter who finds themselves cut from the roster.  Although UFC is the biggest mixed martial arts organization in the world, there are other, more smaller promotions for fighters to go to. 

Some main stream fighters have done better after leaving the octagon.  Alexander has won his last two fights since leaving the UFC.  Nick Diaz, who left the UFC in 2006, has won eight of his last 10 fights and is currently the Strikeforce Welterweight champion.

While some fighters have done better since leaving UFC, there are other fighters who have returned to the organization and have reached new heights in their career. 

Vitor Belfort, who left in 2005 and returned to UFC in 2009, is currently in the path to a middleweight title shot.  Mirko Filipovic, who left UFC in 2007 and came back in 2009, has won three of his four last fights.  He will be headlining the UFC 119 pay per view this Saturday against former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir.

Jardine may be gone from the UFC for the moment.  Whether or not he returns, only time can tell.

Links:

UFC web site

Strikeforce

Shark Fights

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