Breaking: Misha Cirkunov and Askar Askarov among 11 fighters removed from current UFC roster
Misha Cirkunov and Askar Askarov are among 11 UFC fighters who have reportedly been removed from the current UFC roster. A Twitter account named @UFCRosterWatch reported the recent removals.
The list goes as follows:
- Jason Witt
- Darian Weeks
- Cameron VanCamp
- Jesse Ronson
- Charlie Ontiveros
- Magomed Mustafaev
- Nick Maximov
- Louis Cosce
- Misha Cirkunov
- Krzysztof Jotko
- Askar Askarov
Fighter removed: Jason Witt❌ Fighter removed: Jason Witt
❌ Fighter removed: Darian Weeks
❌ Fighter removed: Cameron VanCamp
❌ Fighter removed: Jesse Ronson
❌ Fighter removed: Charlie Ontiveros
❌ Fighter removed: Magomed Mustafaev
❌ Fighter removed: Nick Maximov
❌ Fighter removed: Louis Cosce
❌ Fighter removed: Misha Cirkunov
❌ Fighter removed: Krzysztof Jotko
❌ Fighter removed: Askar Askarov
Flyweight contender Askarov's removal from the UFC roster doesn't come entirely as a shock. 'Bullet' recently claimed to have received a positive response after asking for his UFC release, citing medical reasons. The 30-year-old suffered a decision loss to Kai Kara-France back in March, ending a three-fight winning streak.
Like Askarov, welterweight veteran Jason Witt's removal also doesn't come as a surprise as 'The Vanilla Gorilla' announced his professional retirement a day earlier.
Meanwhile, Misha Cirkunov was released after suffering a first-round knockout loss to Alonzo Menifield last month, making it the fourth consecutive loss for the veteran. Another veteran fighter, Krzysztof Jotko, was subsequently released after a first-round submission loss to Brendan Allen last month. Jotko was riding a two-fight win streak and was 5-1 in his last six prior to the loss against Allen.
The list also includes Nate Diaz's teammate Nick Maximov, who suffered a unanimous decision loss to Jacob Malkoun last month. This was the second consecutive loss for the Stockton native after starting his UFC career on a three-fight winning streak.
Darian Weeks, Cameron VanCamp, Jesse Ronson and Charlie Ontiveros have all been released without registering a single UFC victory.
Askar Askarov's weight cut issues
Currently ranked No.4 on the flyweight ladder, Askar Askarov was scheduled to fight fellow contender Brandon Royval last month. However, 'Bullet' had to withdraw on the day of the weigh-ins due to weight cutting issues.
Prior to this, Askarov had missed weight for his UFC 259 clash against Joseph Benavidez back in March 2021, even losing a percentage of his purse. The Dagestani standout also pulled out of a scheduled clash against Alex Perez earlier this year.
Askarov recently claimed to have asked for his UFC release, priortizing his health. The 30-year-old wrote on Instagram in Russian:
“Due to my return being delayed due to medical reasons and being my last fight under my contract, I asked UFC to release me. To which, I received a positive response. First, let’s put our health in order, and then we will see what and how.”