Smolka, Four Others Part Ways With UFC

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) parted ways with five fighters on Tuesday, including former headliner Louis Smolka. “Da Last Samurai” silenced the Dublin crowd by submitting the since-released Paddy Holohan in the UFC Fight Night 76 main event back in Oct. 2015.

Unfortunately, the 30 year-old bantamweight was unable to keep himself in the win column and will not be returning to the Octagon (for the second time in his career). Smolka is coming off consecutive knockout losses to Vince Morales and Davey Grant, both on ESPN.

Also getting removed from the promotion’s talent pool, courtesy of UFC Roster Watch, is strawweight bruiser Felice Herrig. The “Lil’ Bulldog” was recently submitted in her Karolina Kowalkiewicz rematch at UFC Vegas 56 in Las Vegas and promptly retired from MMA.

Rounding out the list of fighters who are no longer with the promotion are Frank Camacho, Alex Da Silva, and Andreas Michailidis. Camacho is coming off three consecutive losses while Da Silva and Michailidis have both dropped two straight and three of their last four.

It is not yet clear if the fighters listed above were released by the promotion or simply not re-signed after completing their UFC contracts. With Bellator MMA, ONE Championship, and PFL actively recruiting, there are still plenty of places to compete outside the Octagon.