UFC parts ways with 22-fight MMA veteran that debuted against Khamzat Chimaev

"Skelator" fought his way back to the UFC after going 0-2 during his first run with the promotion.

(Zuffa LLC)

Former Cage Warriors titleholder Rhys McKee is apparently no longer a part of the UFC roster as of the first full week of 2026.

Currently in the midst of a lengthy break in between the year-ending UFC Vegas 112 and a UFC 324 card that will formally kick off the promotion’s Paramount era, the UFC was still making moves over the holiday period and opted not to re-sign Rinat Fakhretdinov and two other fighters in late December.

Fakhretdinov’s exit was particularly surprising given that “Gladiator” was coming off a 54-second knockout and was unbeaten inside the Octagon, and now the UFC roster has undergone another update with the removal of McKee.

Rhys McKee Leaves The UFC For The Second Time

According to the UFC Roster Tracker account, McKee was removed from the UFC roster as of Tuesday, January 6.

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Following a strong amateur career where he compiled an 8-3 record over a two-year period, McKee made his professional MMA debut in late 2015 and won via first-round submission. The 30-year-old continued to show off his finishing skills and collected another four victories in 2016, improving to 5-0 when he stopped current UFC lightweight Jai Herbert to win the BAMMA lightweight belt and close out the year.

Rhys McKee (blue gloves) fights Axel Sola (red gloves) during UFC Fight Night at Accor Arena. | Per Haljestam-Imagn Images

“Skelator” boasted a 7-2-1 record when he joined Cage Warriors in late 2018, and three-straight finishes earned McKee a call to the UFC in 2020.

Lone UFC Victory Earned McKee A $50K Bonus

McKee famously debuted against current UFC Middleweight Champion Khamzat Chimaev and was stopped in the opening round, and a follow-up loss to Alex Morono brought an end to his initial run with the UFC.

READ MORE: Will Alex Pereira stay at light heavyweight and fight this former UFC champion?

Returning to Cage Warriors, McKee once again scored three-straight wins via stoppage and claimed the promotion’s welterweight belt at Cage Warriors 140. After defending the belt once, the 30-year-old was invited back to the UFC and dropped back-to-back decisions to Ange Loosa and Chidi Njokuani.

Ange Loosa (red gloves) fights Rhys McKee (blue gloves) during UFC Fight Night at Accor Arena. | Per Haljestam-Imagn Images

The Fight Academy Ireland-product earned a “Performance of the Night” bonus for his first UFC victory against Daniel Frunza last April, but a loss to the debuting Axel Sola at UFC Paris brought his overall Octagon record to 1-5 across his two stints with the promotion.

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