10-Year UFC Veteran Included With 3 Fighters Axed From Official UFC Roster

Three fighters have been removed from the official UFC roster, including one that just picked up a win on last weekend’s UFC Fight Night card.

We’re currently in the midst of a rare off week for the world’s leading MMA promotion, which kicked off its 2026 schedule (and new deal with Paramount) with back-to-back numbered events last month before UFC Vegas 113 opened the year’s UFC Fight Night calendar last Saturday at the Meta APEX in Las Vegas, NV.

UFC Vegas 113 featured several results that caused significant shakeups in the UFC rankings, and two fighters that fought on the card were also included in the latest round of cuts from the promotion’s roster (h/t Tom Feely).

Javid Basharat Exits UFC After Winning At UFC Vegas 113

Originally scheduled to face Said Nurmagomedov before the latter fighter withdrew from UFC Vegas 113 during fight week, Javid Basharat rebounded from the first losses of his career last weekend when he defeated UFC newcomer Gianni Vazquez via unanimous decision.

The victory brought Basharat’s UFC record to 4-2 with an additional No Contest in 2023, but that run apparently wasn’t enough for the UFC to extend his contract. “The Snow Leopard” joined the promotion as an unbeaten talent off of Dana White’s Contender Series in 2021 and won his first three UFC outings before his No Contest against Victor Henry.

Ricky Simon (red gloves) fights Javid Basharat (blue gloves) in the bantamweight bout during UFC Fight Night. — Ricky Simon (red gloves) fights Javid Basharat (blue gloves) in the bantamweight bout during UFC Fight Night at Climate Pledge Arena. | Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

The win over Vazquez snapped a two-fight skid for Basharat after he came up short against Aiemann Zahabi and Ricky Simon. The 30-year-old’s younger brother Farid also fought as part of the main card action at UFC Vegas 113, taking a split decision over Jean Matsumoto to bring his professional MMA record to 15-0.

10-Year UFC Run Comes To An End For Alex Morono

Lucas Almeida didn’t compete at UFC Vegas 113 but was removed from the UFC roster after going 2-4 with the promotion, and last weekend’s card was also apparently the last Octagon appearance for longtime UFC veteran Alex Morono.

The start of 2026 marked ten years since Morono first debuted at UFC 195, where he took a split decision over Kyle Noke. The 35-year-old’s best run with the promotion began in 2021, when he stopped UFC Hall of Famer Donald Cerrone and secured a “Performance of the Night” bonus to kick off what became a four-fight win streak.

Niko Price (red gloves) fights Alex Morono (blue gloves) during UFC 302 at Prudential Center. | Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

“The Great White” dropped a unanimous decision to Daniil Donchenko at UFC Vegas 113, which left Morono on a four-fight losing streak and brought his UFC career to an end after an impressive 24 appearances in the Octagon.

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