TUF Winner Bryan Battle Cut By UFC in Wake of Weight Struggles
Briefly

Bryan Battle holds a 12-2 record with one no contest and went 7-1, 1NC in the UFC after winning The Ultimate Fighter 29 as a middleweight in 2021. He moved down to welterweight and missed weight for a bout with Gabriel Green in 2023. In December he again missed weight by four pounds for a welterweight bout with Randy Brown but won and shifted back toward 185 pounds. At UFC 319 he weighed 190 pounds for a scheduled middleweight fight with Nursulton Ruziboev, resulting in the bout's cancellation. The UFC released Battle after the successive weight misses, ending his run despite recent wins and a no-contest.
Battle (12-2, 1NC) went an impressive 7-1, 1NC in the UFC after winning The Ultimate Fighter 29 as a middleweight in 2021. However, a drop to welterweight, while successful in terms of results, saw him miss weight for a fight with Gabriel Green in 2023. In December of last year, Battle missed the mark again, coming in four pounds heavy for a welterweight bout with Randy Brown. He would, once again, win the bout, though it facilitated a move back to 185lbs.
At UFC 319 this past Saturday, Battle returned to the middleweight division for his fight with Nursulton Ruziboev, coming in at a whopping 190lbs. The fight was ultimately cancelled. Now, Battle's UFC deal has been as well. Battle has been released by the promotion, in a move first reported by MMA Fighting. While not unheard of, being cut by the UFC for missing weight is rare, especially when it comes to a fighter with a winning record. Not to mention a TUF champ.
Read at Cageside Press
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