In the wake of the UFC releasing a few fighters this week, I started to wonder who else could be on the verge of having their 'bubble' burst so to speak. Below is a short list of fighters that could be shown the door if they don't up the ante on their performances in the octagon. The list is as follows:
- Brandon Vera-Vera is 1-3 in his last four fights with the lone win being a very lackluster effort against a nobody making his UFC debut. Accompanied by a huge price tag and fighting in the most stacked weight division in all of MMA, Vera could become dispensible. In fact, the only thing that's keeping him around at this point is his ties to the Phillipines, a country in which the UFC is looking to aid their expansion.
- Jorge Gurgel-The TUF 2 alum is 3-3 in his UFC career with all of his wins coming against lower tier fighters. In fact, all of his wins have gone to the judges albeit his fight at UFC 73 was an absolute war. I'm still trying to figure out how Gurgel still gets fights in the UFC with the way his career has gone since being on TUF. He is slated to fight the always tough Aaron Riley this weekend at UFC 91. You have to think that a loss this weekend would pretty much spell the end of road for Gurgel, as he fights in the stacked LW division.
- Josh Burkman-The TUF 2 alum has lost three straight fights in a row and hasn't finished an opponent in over two years. Burkman was once thought to be near top ten status in the welterweight division, but has fallen on hard times as of late. If Burkman is cut from the UFC roster, he would be a decent addition to the WEC welterweight division.
- Houston Alexander-Alexander is also the loser of 3 straight fights after bursting on the scene with 2 viscious KO wins last year. Alexander brings a different type of excitement and that separates him from fighters like Burkman or Gurgel. He can end a fight at any time and I suspect the UFC will give him one more opportunity to perform. However, he's pretty one dimensional and will probably never be a contender in the LHW division. That coupled with his age makes him dispensable after another loss.
- Drew McFedries-McFedries is 1-3 in his last four fights and is really similar to Houston Alexander. He's incredibly exciting and is capable of ending the fight at any time with one punch, but lacks the ground game to be competitive in the MW division. McFedries has been through a lot of negativity in the last year with the murder of his mother, as well as a very bad staph infection. Here's to hoping he gets another opportunity in the octagon, but if he chalks up another loss that could be the end for him.
- Rameau Sokoudjou-Sokoudjou burst on the scene in PRIDE finishing two top ten opponents in less than 3 minutes. However, since making the transition over to the UFC he has gone 1-2 while being finished in both of his losses. Sokoudjou is a very marketable fighter and is pretty exciting to watch, but his problem is that he fights in the most stacked division in all of MMA. Another loss could be devastating for his career.
Who would you list are "Bubble" fighters in the UFC?
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