(I know what you’re wondering, and yes, the carpet matches the drapes. Photo courtesy of CombatLifestyle.)

God damn this economy. After some hard decisions, the UFC has been forced to cut four members of its workforce. MMA Survival has noticed that the following fighters have been removed from the UFC.com Fighters section…

Hermes Franca: Franca’s TKO loss to Tyson Griffin at UFC 103 was his third defeat in four fights. Franca missed weight for the contest by an embarassing four pounds, and put in an uninspired performance while sporting some seriously jacked-up hair. Franca previously served a one-year suspension for steroids. It was only a matter of time.

Chris Wilson: The Professor kicked off 2009 by losing to John Howard at UFC 94. Then, he was the victim of a terifying robbery in Brazil, was forced to drop out of UFC 98 due to incomplete paperwork, and was finally choked out by Mike Pyle at UFC Fight Night 19. It was Wilson’s third Octagon loss in four attempts, and now he’s been released by the organization. So, not the greatest year for Chris, really.


Marcus Aurelio: Given one more chance to prove himself in the UFC after being released last year — following back-to-back decision losses to Tyson Griffin and Hermes Franca — Aurelio failed again at UFC 102, dropping a split-decision to lightweight prospect Evan Dunham. Aurelio’s overall UFC record now stands at 2-4.

Justin McCully: It’s possible that the UFC just got sick of the dude’s horrendous nickname. McCully’s decision loss to Mike Russow at UFC 102 dropped his UFC record to a middling 2-2 — no, he didn’t drop consecutive fights, but he’s not particularly exciting, and he’s proven that he’ll never be a force in his division. Unless you’re Stephan Bonnar, that’s not a exactly recipe for continued employment.