Travis Lutter Gets Starnes’d By the UFC
(He’s the one getting his ass kicked.)
Looks like the UFC was serious about that whole shedding dead weight thing: Travis Lutter has made history as the first Ultimate Fighter winner to get his contract shredded. Lutter made the announcement yesterday via a MySpace blog entry, which was later confirmed by FightTicker.com. The blog entry suggests that Lutter might have hit the bottle directly after getting the bad news:
I have been released from my UFC Contract.
Friday afternnon I was told by my manager that UFC matchmaker Joe Silza had left my him a message on his phone that I had been released from my UFC contract because of my 2 losses in a row.
And that’s it. At the time of this writing, the post had accumulated eight “kudos.”
Lutter made his Octagon debut at UFC 50 (10/22/04) with a knockout victory over Marvin Eastman, but lost his next two UFC matches against Matt Lindland and Trevor Prangley. After winning a couple of matches outside the Octagon, Lutter was chosen for The Ultimate Fighter 4 (”The Comeback”), where he defeated fellow middleweights Scott Smith and Pete Sell before submitting Patrick Côté via armbar in the final. But Lutter’s been skating on thin ice since he failed to make weight for his championship match against Anderson Silva at UFC 67, causing the card’s main event to be downgraded to an absolutely pointless non-title fight.
The last straw turned out to be his disappointing performance against Rich Franklin at UFC 83, where Lutter was so gassed by the second round that he barely had the energy to get to his feet after Franklin shook out of a leglock attempt. Following the loss, Lutter did an anger-venting interview with FightTicker where he notably said, “fans of this sport just suck…I definitely don’t fight for those people.” Lutter had four fights left on his contract.
The question is, who will get the ax next? So far, the UFC’s roster cuts are following a simple, cold logic: Boring fighting style + one or two losses + nobody likes you = fired. The most obvious upcoming win-or-leave matchup that comes to mind is Evan Tanner vs. Kendall Grove, which headlines the TUF 7 finale on June 21st. Tanner looked like a shell of his former self in his loss to Yushin Okami at UFC 82, and his personal stability is still a question mark; another loss for Grove would make it an unacceptable three in a row. But it would be very surprising if more cuts didn’t take place before that. Any predictions?
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April 28th, 2008 at 6:03 am
is it me or does Lutter just come across as a chronically pompous ass?
April 28th, 2008 at 6:16 am
I’d say that both Ivan Salaverry and Kaz Nakamura are on notice regarding their upcoming performances at UFC 84. Now, no one is really expecting Nakamura to beat Sokoudjou but I’ll wager that if it isn’t at least exciting, Kaz with get the boot. Likewise, if Ivan doesn’t pull the trigger early, on he’s going to be cut.
Frankly I think the matchmakers and PR guys in the UFC have a good handle on who the fans like and dislike, and these cuts are only going to raise the bar for what type of action we can expect to see.
Now, what’s going to stop the UFC from cutting the heavyweight division altogether?
April 28th, 2008 at 6:22 am
Bye bye Travis, we didn´t like you anyway. You spent your whole life studying your opponents on different videos and stuff and u still suck. Its your way of talking that makes me mad. Quotes like ” Anderson Silva would never beat me again” is just bull!
F*ck off!
April 28th, 2008 at 6:27 am
Travis’ conditioning looked so bad versus Franklin that this doesn’t surprise me too much.
April 28th, 2008 at 6:33 am
I don’t see Tanner making it past the first round. He looked like an amateur against Okami, and granted, Grove is coming off of a couple heartbreaking losses, but I think Grove (if he can lay off the pot), can make a come-back, and with the extremely accurate lasers he throws, I’d be surprised if Tanner didn’t get KTFO in the first round.
April 28th, 2008 at 6:36 am
^That’s not to mention Tanner’s Glass Jaw.
(Sorry for the double post here.)
Edit: Would it be complicated to incorporate an editing button for Comments? Like, use the Mail category as a sort of password, if you use the correct mail, you can edit the comment? Just a thought..
April 28th, 2008 at 6:45 am
Houston Alexander cause honestly i thought he had potential but im kinda tired of seeing him getting knocked the fuck out in the first round. he had his 1:49 mins of fame. who knows he might of been released already?
April 28th, 2008 at 8:40 am
Rob emerson is a joke he should get the boot immediately, melvin guillard is a total can, pete sell seems like a likely candidate seeing the 4 straight L’s.. those are my three
April 28th, 2008 at 8:43 am
Give Matt Hughes the boot. He’s dropped 2 of his last 3 and needed the judges to give him a victory against Chris Lytle. And no one likes him. So he fits the formula.
Although, he is entertaining. I smiled for weeks after the GSP fight, every time I replayed that verbal tap in my head.
April 28th, 2008 at 9:28 am
how do you come into every fight with no cardio??
April 28th, 2008 at 9:32 am
Sean Sherk if he loses 2 fights.
I don’t know about Tanner. He is pretty exciting and fairly popular.
April 28th, 2008 at 9:40 am
You misquoted lutter. When he was referring to how “fans suck” he was only referring to the anonymous ones that send him hate mail. He said he has respect for the average mma fan - he just doesn’t like the ones that give him random hate mail.
I think that’s somewhat justified. Yeah, he didn’t make weight and gassed a little early but he didn’t pull a Starnes. You really have to have no life if you are just going around and spamming hate mail to fighters.
April 28th, 2008 at 10:07 am
one word for emerson…… uhpeaaaaaaaace!!
April 28th, 2008 at 10:21 am
I think Franklin mighta been on that list had he tapped on that leg lock. he would’ve been in the conversation at least.
April 28th, 2008 at 10:37 am
lmao @ the caption for the pic
April 28th, 2008 at 11:02 am
yeah fucking right. If you seriosly think franklin’s head was on the chopping block, then you must not have been paying attention to the middleweights in the ufc over the last two years. Franklin is the only one with balls big enuff to fight silva repeatedly. Rich “Ace” Franklin will always have a spot in the ufc.
April 28th, 2008 at 11:50 am
I think the “Heat”should get the boot! BOARING FIGHTS! on the bubble i also think Tyson Griffin…he can finish a happymeal, let alone a fight!
April 28th, 2008 at 12:03 pm
haha what?? u must be on the pipe, tyson griffin is a fucking beast why would he be on the bubble?
April 28th, 2008 at 12:22 pm
Tyson Griffin?? Now Melvin Guilliard is questionable, but i think if he can come back with a couple knockouts he could get his career on track again…he is still pretty young….And UFC please do us a favor and fire Rob Emerson…that guy is worthless!!
April 28th, 2008 at 1:20 pm
Pete Sell for definite, the only reason he hasn’t already been cut is because he Matt Serra’s friend.
April 28th, 2008 at 1:22 pm
you were right about that edit button, missed the “is” in the above sentence
April 28th, 2008 at 1:35 pm
Looks like you lose and here come the scissors. I don’t think its the actual losing the fight but with losing with no chance of winning really kicks you in the junk at the end.
April 28th, 2008 at 7:48 pm
Sell and emerson are defo on thin ice, also if serra loses his next few and falls further down the food chain he may get the chop. To the poster who reckons griffin should get the chop…. lay of the crack pipe mate. Dana chops boring fighters and grifin is anything but boring. Oh and if sherk losses he will leave the ufc… (i hope) lol