TUF 8 winner Efrain Escudero released from the UFC
Posted on September 22, 2010, 06:24 AM by DragoIt was with a bit of shock that fans "heard" that 24 years old Mexican mixed martial artist Efrain "Hecho en México" Escudero was "cut" by the UFC, only five days after his loss to Charles "do Bronx" Oliveira.
"Hello true fan I was released by the Ufc today speaking to strikeforce and bellator. Taking a week off and make my way back!!!!!"
This was what Escudero wrote on his twitter page. Just under two years ago, Escudero won season eight of TUF, "squeezing" out a victory against Philipe Nover. He followed that up with a impressive KO of Cole Miller, cementing his reputation as a young promising fighter. His next fight was against rising star Evan Dunham in which he lost via armbar. He bounced back with a decision victory against Dan Lauzon and again he was set to face a rising star, this time in the likes of the 20 year old Brazilian Charles Oliveira. He lost that fight (being submitted again) but more than the loss was the fact he didnt made weight and thats something the UFC (aka Dana White) doesnt like and probably the reason he was cut from the organization.
This marks only the second time the UFC has released a winner from TUF and his release does appear somewhat hasty compared with how the other reality series winners have fared. Escudero is a very talented and promising fighter and has a good chance of getting a few wins in some of the smaller shows, and it may not be long before he returns to the Octagon. He has a record of 13-2 with most his wins coming by the form of submission (9 in total).
Comments
Tough break for the kid, I can see why they did it coming in heavy and losing 2 of 3. But come on, they release this guy and keep Mac Danzig 1-4 in last 5 fights I'm not really seeing the logic there.
couldnt agree more... i feel that danzig should have been relesed long before efrain... ( travis lutter was also a tuf winner and got released)
I think missing the weight was a deciding factor in the decision. Not saying I agree with it but the organization "hate" when theire fighters miss weight...
thiago alves never makes weight snd he just got moved to other class that thtat sucks for efrain
Tough break but it just goes to show how competitive the UFC is and how much harder it is to stay in the UFC once you get there. He lost to two great fighters in Dunham and Oliveira, but I am guessing the weight cutting issue didn't help matters at all.
Hes got a better track record in both his fights and makin weight than some fighters who have yet to be cut by the UFC. Some fighters lose multiple fights and dnt get cut. But as far as the not making weight....why is he gettin cut and Chael Sonnen still in the ufc and will only have possibly a 1-year suspension
Agree. Just not sure if the weight thing made the decision easier or not. You never know with D. White. Could be more going on than we know about. I wouldn't have cut him, that's for sure.
wow that rly sucks although his last performance was very bad they shud have gave him another chance
It's wasn't bad, i saw it live. Charles just caught him with an unorthodox move that led to a RNC.
I'd love to see him in Bellator. This guy is a huge crowd favorite.
I thought the fight was very good I gave him the first round and then second was close.
Maybe it's people losing in the third round like Todd Duffee and now Escudero
2nd time the UFC released a TUF winner, travis lutter was a TUF winner and he got released awhile ago
Except Lutter was in the UFC before he was on the Ultimate Fighter. It was season 4 "The Comeback" which featured fighters previously in the UFC trying to make their way back. Matt Serra and Chris Lytle are the two who have done the best since the show, but Shonie Carter and a few others you've heard of were on it. I'm surprised they didn't mention it in the article above, Escudero is the first pure-bred TUF winner to be released from the UFC. All of the other articles I've read on the matter mention this.
Either way, a completely terrible call and a sign that the UFC's standards are becoming too high. So high in fact that I think the quality of fighters could suffer. Every time one of these established elite-level fighters is released, it opens another spot up for an up-and-comer which is of course a good thing. However, will it always be possible to fill their spots with fighters who are even better? Not likely.
Dana has done it again.
thats f**king retarded....they should have gave him one more fight...
I though that he (Efrain Escudero) was guaranteed to be in the UFC for 12 months as a part of winning TUF? or is it the he is guaranteed so many fights in the UFC?
jesus... this dude looked like he was an up and comer........
alot of fighters dont make weight and dont get cut wtf
even with the loss added to that he still doesnt deserve to be cut
Dana probably cant make any money off him.....
then once he gets a few wins outside the UFC
Dana probably re sign him though......
@Cookie77: Escudero won the TUF 8 in 2008, he was in the UFC for more than 2 years now. He had 4 fights in the UFC (won 2 and lost 2) and that may have been is contract. I though the kid had talent and, as I said before, not making weight was the deciding factor. Its very unprofessional not making weight, its bad for the fans, the competition and mostly to the opponents. Dana White "hates" that as we know...
His contract ended with a record of 2 and 2 in the UFC. He did not make weight in the more important fight of his career. They decided to not give him a new contract. Not saying I agree with the decision, just stating how I think things went...
Another great addition to the Strikeforce or Bellator roster. Personally, I would like to see Bellator bring in some bigger names, but I am sure that Strikeforce just simply has more money to throw at these guys than they do.
Something Dana doesn't like?????!!!! Alves missed weight by 4 lbs against Hughes!!! He didn't have a problem with that!!!!
And that weirdo leprechaun Danzig stays? Lunacy.
HAHA! I have to admit I like him.
I'm sure there's more to this than we know. Maybe he said something behind closed doors that Dana didn't appreciate...The UFC has been on a cutting spree as of late, though. Just recently, Todd Duffee was also cut. Strikeforce should pick up Escudero, though. You guys think that makes Strikeforce look bad because they are always picking up what the UFC is throwing out?
Well this kinda suck :P
He only lost once and now he gets cut, how sad
Another solid, name-brand fighter, that will be fighting in StrikeForce; Dana continues to do his competition favors.
Someone should sit the UFC "brain trust" down and explain the financial loss, to them. If one adds up the money that went into promoting a fighter like EF, from TUF to the fights he's had in the UFC (actual camera time), we'd be talking about a lot of money...and now, they take that investment and throw it at StrikeForce.
The UFC only helps it's competitors with these types of decisions. I've said it before, the UFC needs to become it's own competition; expand its rosters and put on more shows; and not all the shows have to be "ready-for-prime-time" fighters, nor do they all need to be broadcast on TV; they could do broadcasts via web...do the shows cheaper and in smaller markets that would, otherwise, never have a chance to see a UFC fight.
...come on Dana - think, man. The problem with the UFC is that there aren't enough shows. To have more shows, the UFC needs more fighters like EF...not less.
That would be awesome if they had more shows. I definitely think they are starting to have way too many fighters on their roster to where even good fighers are getting cut.
Not cool....
its simple, UFC only care about money...that is bottom line, if your name doesnt bring the crowd....you'll get cut