Just over a week after being cut from the UFC, Bryan Battle returned to action and scored a first-round finish in Mike Perry’s Dirty Boxing Championship.
The welterweight winner of The Ultimate Fighter Season 29, Battle only suffered one loss during a successful run in the UFC that was unfortunately marred by several weight misses, the first of which came ahead of a 14-second knockout against Gabe Green in 2023.
“The Butcher” once again missed weight before his split decision win against Randy Brown at UFC 310 and moved up to middleweight for his next bout against Nursulton Ruziboev. After failing to hit the middleweight limit on weigh-in day for UFC 319, the promotion elected to release Battle from the roster altogether.
Randy Brown (red gloves) fights Bryan Battle (blue gloves) at T-Mobile Arena. / Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images
The 30-year-old Battle could still find a path back to the UFC following his sudden exit, and the former TUF winner was barely a free agent for a full day before he signed on to compete at Dirty Boxing Championship 3 in Miami, Florida.
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Scheduled to face Derik de Freitas in a middleweight contest, Battle ran through the Brazilian in the first round to score his first post-UFC win just over a week after being cut from the promotion.
BRYAN BATTLE GETS THE WIN IN THE FIRST FOR HIS DBX DEBUT! 🔥 #DBX3 pic.twitter.com/AoYnVooVBl
— Dirty Boxing Championship (@DirtyBoxing_) August 30, 2025
While it wasn’t an MMA victory, Battle is now on a three-fight win streak overall dating back to a 2024 No Contest with Ange Loosa. “The Butcher” is unbeaten since he dropped a unanimous decision to Rinat Fakhretdinov in 2022, which stands as the only loss of his UFC career.
Created by former UFC fighter and current BKFC star “Platinum” Mike Perry, DBX features a unique ruleset where fighters wear 5 oz. gloves and are allowed to use elbows and ground and pound but aren’t able to grapple or look for submissions.
Bryan Battle after his first-round finish at DBX 3. / (Dirty Boxing Championship)
Battle was just one of a number of UFC veterans competing at DBX 3, and the prelims alone featured plenty of recognizable names like Alex Caceres, Chase Sherman, Landon Quinones, and Mike Breeden.
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Jessica-Rose Clark, Phil Hawes, and Hector Lombard all also competed on the DBX 3 main card along with Battle, and former top-ranked UFC heavyweight Jairzinho Rozenstruik made promotional history in the night’s main event when he stopped Rakim Cleveland to become Dirty Boxing Championship’s first-ever champion.
JAIRZINHO ROZENSTRUIK SLEEPS RAKIM CLEVELAND IN THE FIRST! BIGI BOY makes HISTORY! He is the first ever DBX HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION! 🔥🏆 #DBX3 pic.twitter.com/Yztv8GILDo
— Dirty Boxing Championship (@DirtyBoxing_) August 30, 2025
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