Fighters who were previously a challenge for the bantamweight title, Alexis Davis, and Danilo Marques from Brazil have been removed from UFC’s roster.
UFC officials confirmed the moves to MMA Fighting on Wednesday after both athletes completed their contracts with the promotion. While it’s possible they could be brought back, it’s not expected that the UFC will renew deals with either athlete at this time.
It’s certainly surprising news for Davis considering she’s been a stalwart in the UFC since 2013 when women’s divisions were added to the promotional roster.
The Canadian-born grappler began her UFC career by winning three straight fights, earning her the chance to face Ronda Rousey for her pound title. Unfortunately for Davis, her championship aspirations ended after just 16 seconds following a slam from Rousey followed by a series of punches that knocked her unconscious.
Davis bounced back and forth between wins and losses for the remainder of her UFC run, competing at both bantamweight and flyweight. In February, she won a unanimous win over Julija Soliarenko. This was the end of her UFC contract.
Davis currently ranks No. 1 in MMA Fighting. 15 is the highest-ranked bantamweight fighter in the world.
As for Marques, he exits the UFC after completing a four-fight deal with the promotion.
Marques picked up back-to-back wins after first signing with the UFC, but then he suffered two losses in a row to Kennedy Nzechukwu and Jailton Almeida. Marques’ last defeat was in the end of his contract, and the UFC decided not to renew him.
MMA Fighting’s Guilherme Cru contributed to this report
