UFC axes several veteran fighters, including TUF winner and heavyweight fan favorite

The latest round of UFC roster removals is highlighted by a recent The Ultimate Fighter winner and one of the promotion’s most popular heavyweights.

We’re officially on the home stretch of the UFC’s 2025 schedule (and deal with ESPN) with only five events left on the calendar this year. MMA fans are eagerly looking forward to this weekend’s stacked UFC 322 card at Madison Square Garden, and the UFC will end November with its first visit to Qatar on November 22.

UFC Qatar will close out a nine-week stretch of consecutive events before the final three UFC cards of the year. According to Tom Feely, the promotion’s roster also got three fighters lighter this week with the removals of Kiefer Crosbie, Kurt Holobaugh, and Chris Barnett.

Keifer Crosbie Gets His UFC Release, Kurt Holobaugh's Second UFC Run Ends

A veteran of Bellator MMA before he made the jump to the UFC, Crosbie made headlines in the aftermath of UFC Shanghai when he appeared to announce his retirement from fighting on Instagram.

Kiefer Crosbie (blue gloves) reacts after losing to Kevin Jousset (not pictured) during UFC 293 at Qudos Bank Arena. | Jasmin Frank-Imagn Images

The 35-year-old later clarified his initial post, explaining that he was actually asking for a release from the UFC after being stopped in the first round by Taiyilake Nueraji. The loss marked the third time that Crosbie had been stopped in the first round out of three UFC outings, as the MMA veteran was also submitted by Kevin Jousset in his 2023 debut before he suffered the same fate against Sam Patterson last year.

The latest round of UFC roster updates also sees Holobaugh’s second stint with the promotion come to an end after fighting his way back to the Octagon by winning The Ultimate Fighter 31. “The Hurt” went 0-3 during his first UFC run that began in 2018, and he went 1-3 after defeating Austin Hubbard in the TUF lightweight finals at UFC 292.

Kurt Holobaugh (red gloves) reacts to defeating Austin Hubbard (blue gloves) during UFC 292 at TD Garden. | Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images

Fan Favorite Chris Barnett Exits The UFC

Likely the most high-profile name included in the recent batch of UFC roster cuts is Barnett, who established himself as a major fan favorite during his six-fight stint with the promotion.

Following a submission loss to Ben Rothwell in his promotional debut in 2021, Barnett scored a stunning wheel kick finish of Gian Villante at UFC 268 to secure a “Performance of the Night” bonus. The 39-year-old came up short in his next outing against Martin Buday before he also stopped Jake Collier at UFC 279, although he unfortunately weighed in above the heavyweight limit for that fight.

Jake Collier (red gloves) fights Chris Barnett (blue gloves) during UFC 279 at T-Mobile Arena. | Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

“Beast Boy” was sidelined for more than two years before he returned at UFC 308 and was stopped by Kennedy Nzechukwu. Barnett’s Octagon swan song came at UFC 321 when he dropped a unanimous decision to Hamdy Abdelwahab, who was also surprisingly removed from the roster not long after that event.

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