UFC Releases Middleweight Fighter After Post-Fight Assault

Fans asked for it, and it appears they have gotten their wish. On Thursday, the UFC removed Nikolay Veretennikov from its roster.

You could look at Veretennikov’s time in a UFC Octagon and find every reason why he’s not fit for the roster. He’s on a two-fight losing streak, with both fights taking place as a part of the UFC’s roster.

Veretennikov even had a shot on Dana White’s Contender Series in September 2021. On that night, he lost a clear unanimous decision to Michael Morales. More notably, Veretennikov lost to short-notice opponent Austin Vanderford on February 22 at UFC Seattle.

After the fight, which Vanderford won via second-round TKO, Veretennikov came after his opponent and pushed him. The egregious attack drew backlash from the MMA community, and some called for the UFC to release him.

While White said he wouldn’t discipline Veretennikov for his unprofessional behavior, the major issue was the 35-year-old Kazakh’s record and lack of success in the UFC.

Counting his experience on DWCS, Veretennikov is 0-3 in the UFC and 12-3 in other organizations.

Veretennikov wasn’t the only fighter separated from the organization on what turned out to be break-up Thursday.

For what it’s worth, Vanderford didn’t hold a grudge against Veretennikov. He told Ariel Helwani that he essentially left the incident in the Octagon that night and wasn’t taking it personally.

According to Roster Watch, the UFC officially parted ways with Matthew Semelsberger, Cody Stamann, Taylor Lapilus, Roosevelt Roberts, Natan Levy, Julio Arce, Josh Culibao, and Jonathan Pearce.

Up Next – UFC Vegas

The next UFC event takes place on Saturday, March 1 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The number of Apex events is expected to dwindle in 2025, with far more shows in arenas across the United States and a few other countries.

As for Saturday’s card, the men’s flyweight division will hold down the main event. Manel Kape takes on Asu Almabayev. Both men believe they can earn a title shot with a win.

With tons at stake and two elite fighters in action, we could see a memorable fight wrap up the evening.

Another fight of interest is the heavyweight scrap between Austen Lane and newcomer Mario Pinto. The latter looks like a fighter who could make some noise in the division.

The heavyweight ranks are undergoing a noticeable turnover, and Pinto would love to be a part of the wave of new blood. Lane is trying not to find himself on an upcoming cut list.

UFC Vegas 103 Full Card

• Manel Kape vs. Asu Almabayev – Flyweight
• Cody Brundage vs. Julian Marquez – Middleweight
• Nasrat Haqparast vs. Esteban Ribovics – Lightweight
• Austen Lane vs. Mario Pinto – Heavyweight
• William Gomis vs. Hyder Amil – Featherweight
• Danny Barlow vs. Sam Patterson – Welterweight
• Ricardo Ramos vs. Chepe Mariscal – Featherweight
• Douglas Silva de Andrade vs. John Castañeda – Bantamweight
• Andrea Lee vs. JJ Aldrich – Flyweight
• Lucas Almeida vs. Danny Silva – Featherweight
• Montana De La Rosa vs. Luana Carolina – Flyweight
• Charles Johnson vs. Ramazan Temirov – Flyweight