The Ultimate Fighter Season 30 heavyweight winner, Mohammed Usman’s time in the UFC came to an abrupt end despite a 4-2 record.
Mohammed Usman made a strong case to be a potential future heavyweight title contender when he knocked out Zac Pauga to win The Ultimate Fighter 30 in August 2022. Usman’s wins over Jake Collier and Junior Tafa proved himself as a potential star in the making in the heavyweight division.
But after a 3-0 start to his UFC tenure, Usman suffered back-to-back losses to former LFA champ Thomas Petersen and Mick Parkin, a former Dana White’s Contender Series standout. Usman was able to bounce back from the first losing skid of his career with a decisive win over Hamdy Abdelwahab last June.
Usman’s brief return to the heavyweight spotlight suffered a massive blow when it was announced that the talented prospect was handed a 30-month suspension due to testing positive for a banned substance. A scheduled bout against Valter Walker, the brother of light heavyweight Johnny Walker, was canceled in October due to an Usman injury.
Usman will be on the sidelines for more than two years as he serves his suspension, and the UFC has no plans to wait for his return to the Octagon.
Mohammed Usman cut from UFC roster three years after Ultimate Fighter win
It was reported by MMA Fighting on Thursday that the UFC matchmakers parted ways with Usman as part of the promotion’s latest roster cuts. The UFC also elected not to re-sign Jailton Almeida following a series of sluggish performances in the Octagon.
Usman and Almeida’s releases are part of the UFC’s intentions to revamp the heavyweight division, which is currently stalled amidst Tom Aspinall’s ongoing hiatus. Aspinall recently underwent surgery on both of his eyes following injuries suffered at UFC 321.
As of this writing, Usman hasn’t publicly addressed his UFC release, and he could potentially get some interest in free agency.
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