The UFC has cut eight fighters from its roster, including light heavyweight veteran Fabio Maldonado.
A source close to the promotion told MMAFighting.com that the UFC has released Maldonado, Chico Camus, Kevin Souza, Ericka Almeida, Bubba Bush, Mickael Lebout, Vernon Ramos and Jumabieke Tuerxun from their contracts.
Probably the most surprising name on the list is Kevin Souza (15-4). The 31-year-old featherweight recently had a 10-fight winning streak snapped by Chas Skelly in November. Prior to the loss, Souza went 3-0 in the UFC with a decision win over Felipe Arantes and a pair of knockouts over Mark Eddiva and Katsunori Kikuno.
Souza told MMAFighting.com he wasn’t officially informed by the promotion of his release.
"USADA emailed me saying I don’t need to inform my whereabouts because I wasn’t listed as a UFC fighter anymore," Souza said.
LINK: Fabio Maldonado among eight fighters released from the UFC