Demian Maia and Jimmie Rivera are no longer competing under the UFC banner.
MMAJunkie’s John Morgan has taken to his Twitter account to reveal that a UFC official has confirmed that neither Maia nor Rivera is on the UFC roster at this time.
“It was brought to my attention that both Demian Maia and Jimmie Rivera have been removed from the UFC’s online roster. Spoke to a UFC official who confirmed that ‘both have fought out their deals’ at this time and are not currently under contract.”
There is a chance that the UFC will re-sign one or both fighters as they were not released. There is a clue to suggest that Maia may not be making his return, however. UFC President Dana White said the following after Maia’s recent unanimous decision loss to Belal Muhammad.
“I think that was his last fight (with the UFC). It was the last fight on his deal. He’s 44 years old. He’s been so good at getting in there, securing the takedown, getting on top of people, and just strangling them or grabbing something or twisting it until you quit. He couldn’t get it done tonight. He’s 44 years old. He’s a great guy. He’s had a great career. Yes, I would say that’s probably it.”
After going on a 20-fight winning streak, Rivera ran into a head kick from Marlon Moraes that stopped him in his tracks. Following the winning streak, Rivera has gone 2-4. To the 32-year-old’s credit, he has gone the distance with the likes of Petr Yan and current UFC Bantamweight Champion Aljamain Sterling.
Where do you think Demian Maia and Jimmie Rivera will end up next?
