Future Hall of Famer highlights latest group of fighters removed from UFC roster

Originally posted on MMA on SI | By Drew Beaupre | Last updated May 22, 2025 1:30 PM ET

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The latest round of changes to the UFC roster looks to have officially closed the book on of the greatest careers in the promotion's history.

The roster for MMA’s leading promotion is constantly changing, as aging or struggling fighters are at constant risk of losing their place in the UFC thanks to the influx of new talent from things like Dana White’s Contender Series or high-profile signings such as former Bellator Champion Patchy Mix.

Sometimes the news that a fighter has been removed from the UFC roster is more of a formality confirming a previously-announced retirement, and that’s the case for one of the three fighters that have recently been taken off of the UFC website.

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Dominick Cruz Officially Removed From UFC Roster

According to the UFC Roster Tracker account, two-time UFC Bantamweight Champion Dominick Cruz has officially been removed from the active UFC roster.

“The Dominator” reigned as the WEC bantamweight champion before the WEC roster was absorbed into the UFC, where Cruz successfully defended his belt twice as the promotion’s inaugural 135 lbs. titleholder.

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Injuries unfortunately derailed Cruz’s first UFC title reign before he reclaimed the belt in 2016, but after defending it in a trilogy bout with Urijah Faber the California-native suffered an upset loss to Cody Garbrandt at UFC 207 before he once again lost several years of his career to injuries.

The 40-year-old returned in 2020 for a failed title shot against Henry Cejudo before scoring back-to-back wins the following year, but following a loss to Marlon Vera in 2022 the former champion was sidelined once again and announced his retirement after being forced out of his final fight with Rob Font at UFC Seattle in February.

UFC Veterans Cut After Losing Streaks

Cruz’s removal from the UFC roster comes as little surprise given that the 40-year-old already announced his retirement, and the latest round of fighters removed from the UFC website also includes Jimmy Flick and Bruno Silva.

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Not to be confused with the UFC’s #12-ranked flyweight contender, Silva debuted in the UFC’s middleweight division in 2021 and stopped his first three opponents before suffering back-to-back losses the following year.

“Blindado” returned to the win column when he stopped Brad Tavares in 2023, but that preceded a run of five-straight losses capped off by an ugly first-round finish against Marc-Andre Barriault at UFC 315.

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A former LFA flyweight champion, Flick earned a UFC contract on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2020 and secured a highlight-reel flying triangle choke in his promotional debut against Cody Durden later that year.

“The Brick” surprised fans by announcing his retirement from MMA not long after his UFC debut, but the 34-year-old eventually returned to competition and went 1-3 from 2023 to 2024 before he most recently suffered a unanimous decision loss to Matt Schnell in April.

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This article first appeared on MMA on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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