UFC veterans Danny Castillo and Mike Pierce are among 11 fighters who have been released by the promotion in the past week.
A long time member of ‘Team Alpha Male’, the 36 year-old Castillo has been with the UFC since 2011, and indeed his association with Zuffa stretches back even further than that to 2008 when he was competing in the WEC.
For much of his UFC stint Castillo was a relatively consistent mid-tier competitor, compiling a 7-3 record in his first three years. However, a defeat against Tony Ferguson in the summer of 2014 would become the first of a four-fight losing streak to Paul Felder, Jim Miller and most recently Nik Lentz which has resulted in him being cut from the promotion.
Joining him will be Pierce who’s been competing in the Octagon since 2009, compiling a 8-5 record during that six year run.
Pierce’s best spell in the UFC came in a little over a year between 2012 and 2013 where he put together a four fight unbeaten run, but he then lost in controversial fashion to troubled fighter Rousimar Palhares who was released after the bout for failing to let go of the fight-ending heel hook submission.
Suffering from a number of injuries Pierce would be out of action for two years, but finally returned at the TUF 22 Finale in December where he lost by decision to Ryan LaFlare, and, perhaps a little harshly, the UFC have decided not to give him another chance to get back to winning ways.
The nine other fighters who’ve also been released by the UFC this week include Steve Montgomery, Akbarh Arreola, Steven Kennedy, Konstantin Erokhin, Marcin Wrzosek, Marcio Alexandre, Valmir Lazaro, Hayder Hassan and Leo Kuntz.
