Travis Lutter cut from the UFC
UFC middleweight and "The Ultimate Fighter 4" winner Travis Lutter, who most recently suffered a second-round TKO to Rich Franklin at UFC 83, has been released from the UFC.
Lutter confirmed the news with a recent blog post.
The cut is the latest from the UFC, which has been trimming its roster of fighters in recent months. As MMAjunkie.com (
www.mmajunkie.com) previously reported, one of the highest-profile cases included Jake O'Brien earlier this month.
Lutter, who nearly submitted Franklin with a first-round armbar at the April 19 event, has been dropped from the UFC after facing arguably the division's top two fighters: Franklin and UFC middleweight title-holder Anderson Silva.
"Friday [afternoon] I was told by my manager that UFC matchmaker Joe [Silva] had left my him a message on his phone that I had been released from my UFC contract because of my two losses in a row," Lutter wrote.
After defeating Patrick Cote to win "TUF 4," Lutter earned his guaranteed title shot with Silva. However, he failed to make weight for the event -- earning the wrath of MMA fans and even UFC president Dana White -- and despite a solid first round, he ultimately suffered a second-round submission loss via strikes.
Lutter (9-5 MMA, 2-5 UFC) made his octagon debut at UFC 50 and earned a second-round knockout victory over Marvin Eastman.