The UFC has continued to trim the fat from its organisation, cutting a myriad of veteran fighters from its roster.

With Dana White‘s Contender Series having started up just days ago on the 11th of August, a brand-new crop of aspiring stars will be attempting to find their place on the MMA ladder, which has led to the need to create space for its latest crop of talent.

According to UFC Roster Watch, which keeps track of additions and removals to the UFC fighter roster, the world’s leading MMA promotion has removed several fighters from its roster in the past few days.

Some of these fighters have struggled in the Octagon, while others have not competed for an extended period of time or have chosen to move on entirely.

According to the account, six fighters have been cut from the organisation.

The Six Fighters Cut From the UFC

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To start with, Hailey Cowan is just a formality following her retirement from MMA. The 34-year-old had never truly broken into the UFC, with the American fighter retiring from the sport with a 0-4 record.

Next on the cutting block is Bekzat Almakhan. The cutting of the Kazakhstani fighter should also not come as too much of a surprise for anyone, with the 28-year-old going 1-3 in his four UFC fights. Seeing as most UFC contracts are four fights, his time in the organisation was up.

Almakhan did fight some tough opponents, however, with his opponents’ average Elo rating being 2861. With a bit of luck and a few winning fights outside of the UFC, he may get another shot at stardom.

Cody Gibson is the most seasoned fighter on this list. With a record of 3-8, the veteran American’s bout against Canada’s Brad Katona back in 2023 was awarded Fight of the Night.

The American is now 38 years of age, and is on a three-fight losing streak, so it is no surprise that he has been cut from the organisation.

One that may be a surprise at first look is China’s Shayilan Nuerdanbieke. The 5ft 8in star had a 3-3 record, winning one of his fights as an underdog. But, despite his equal record, he had not fought since the 15th of June 2024, when he lost to Brazilian fighter Melquizael Costa. There were also reports that he wanted to leave the UFC.

Stewart Nicoll may have felt hard done by, but when your record is 0-4 in a professional fighting institution, you will always be at risk of getting cut. The Solomon Islands/Australian fighter was handed some tough opponents – an average opponent Elo of 2665 – and it is unlikely that we will see him back in the organisation.

Last on the list is Jessie Rosas.

Out of all six fighters on the list, Rosas is the most undeserved.

The Mexican MMA star has a record of 8-1 outside of the UFC, and when finally given a chance to star in the foremost MMA promotion, a cut on his head forced him to withdraw from his UFC debut due to doctors’ orders.

The 23-year-old was expected to face off against Miles John on the 8th of August, but just hours before he would finally grace the eminent Octagon, he was forced to withdraw.

While Rosas was removed from the roster, he never got to show what he was truly made of. With a bit of luck and keeping on the UFC’s good graces, it is likely we will see him in the Octagon in the near future.

It’s been a controversial summer for FIFA president Gianni Infantino, who is now at risk of losing his job after a series of questionable decisions.

The 56-year-old drew criticism ahead of the 2026 World Cup due to his close relationship with United States President Donald Trump. Even those within FIFA were said to be embarrassed as Inaftinao handed Trump the Peace Prize.

The outrageous call to then rescind Folarin Balogun’s red card during the tournament did not help, but Infantino’s biggest mistake came after the World Cup, when it became apparent that he wanted to sell off shares in the FIFA competition. As a result, UEFA have declared a loss of confidence in Infantino, with many nations withdrawing support for the current president ahead of the 2027 elections.

Vincent Kompany Backed as Next FIFA President

With Infantino’s future in doubt, a few names have been suggested in the media as possible candidates to run for FIFA president. Perhaps the most exciting name yet has now emerged with Toby Alderweireld tipping a four-time Premier League winner for the job.

Indeed, the former Ajax and Tottenham Hotspur star has suggested his old Belgian teammate Vincent Kompany would be ideal to take over from Infantino. As quoted by FourFourTwo, Alderweireld explained:

It’s interesting to note that Alderweireld expected Kompany to take on a more administrative role within football, as opposed to becoming a coach. However, still only 40 years old, the former Manchester City captain has quickly established himself as one of the best young managers in the game, working for Anderlecht and Burnley before taking on his current role at Bayern Munich.

Alderweireld: ‘Next FIFA Boss Must Be Someone Who Played the Game’

Names like Aleksander Ceferin, Patrice Motsepe, Nasser Al-Khelaifi, Lise Klaveness, Dariusz Mioduski, Mattias Grafstrom, Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa, Victor Montagliani have been touted as possible challengers for Infantino, but Alderweireld has explained what he is looking for in the next FIFA boss.

“It’s very important that the FIFA president is someone who played the game and knows the game,” the former Belgium centre-back said. “We’ve all been a fan. Then we’ve become a football player. We know both sides. When I was a child, I went to all the away games on the bus. We’re not just people who made good money out of playing in the Premier League and Champions League.

“We’re football fans too. We played the game. We know how it is. What it is to be a player and a fan. The one thing that’s very important is that the person who’s doing the talking should be a football guy because look at the World Cup. A 20-minute show at half-time? That’s where you need someone who knows football to say no.

“The most beautiful thing about the sport is its traditions. New things have their place too but we need to protect the traditions as well and that’s why you need football players, football people who have been around the game, to keep the businessmen in check.”

As things stand, Kompany has a contract with Bayern until 2029 and, having won the Bundesliga twice in his first two seasons, it remains unclear but feels unlikely that he would have any interest in stepping away from management to run for FIFA president at any time soon.

UEFA’s new plans to remove Gianni Infantino from his role as FIFA president have emerged this week, with the sixth and final confederation now issuing a statement about the 2026 World Cup’s arch villain.

It has long been known that Aleksander Ceferin and some of Europe’s biggest football powers – such as England and Germany – have wanted the Swiss millionaire removed from his position following a failed plan to sell stakes in the World Cup.

But with a FIFA meeting concluding that Infantino will hold on to power until March’s important election adjudges otherwise, the 56-year-old’s position is safe for now. Nations have withdrawn written support, while UEFA have looked at other candidates they could put forward.

As progress on getting the 56-year-old out of office has stalled in recent weeks, seemingly seeing the conversation around the World Cup die down, the confederation has now drawn up new ideas to get their plan back up and running.

UEFA’s Two New Ideas For Changing FIFA’s Leadership Revealed

REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes

Senior figures from European football convened in Salzburg this week for a series of pivotal discussions over the FIFA governance crisis, with the UEFA Super Cup providing the backdrop for high-level diplomacy. UEFA president Ceferin and European Football Clubs chairman Nasser Al-Khelaifi were photographed together as the latter’s Paris Saint-Germain defeated Aston Villa 2-1 on Wednesday evening.

From the meeting, as per GOAL, it has emerged that UEFA’s ambitions extend well beyond simply changing the personnel at the top of FIFA. The European body is exploring a fundamental reimagining of the presidency itself.

One proposal would see the role rotated between the continental confederations, mirroring models used by multinational institutions such as the European Union. This would ensure no future occupant could amass the level of authority wielded by Infantino or his predecessors.

An alternative under consideration would abolish the presidential title altogether, replacing it with a chairman of the board supported by multiple vice-chairs, in an effort to strengthen institutional oversight. Both options would be backed by a significantly enhanced administrative apparatus, functioning along similar lines of a civil service.

UEFA also favours a clear separation of FIFA’s commercial, operational and regulatory functions – a direct rebuke to Infantino’s drive to consolidate those divisions under a partly privatised subsidiary.

Oceania Issue Statement Revealing Gianni Infantino Stance

REUTERS/Evgenia Novozhenina

The OFC, football’s smallest confederation with 11 full members, has said the region had benefited from FIFA’s leadership after discussing the private investment plan at a meeting on Wednesday, revealing their support for the current president.

“The OFC Executive Committee welcomes FIFA’s decision to withdraw the FFE (FIFA Forward Enterprise) proposal and its commitment to review the issues surrounding the project,” the OFC said in a statement, as per The Standard.

However, New Zealand, the only Oceania nation to qualify for this summer’s World Cup, said it had withdrawn support for Infantino’s reelection bid at next year’s FIFA Congress (as seen above). “In addition, NZF (New Zealand Football) is also seeking an independent review of the steps undertaken to develop the FIFA Forward Enterprise scheme,” it said.

“After careful consideration, NZF has formed the view that decisions and actions within FIFA have contributed to a breakdown in trust and increased division within international football, and that an independent review is required to restore confidence and trust.”