Rhys McKee released by UFC

UFC welterweight Rhys McKee has been released from the world’s leading MMA promotion after losing both of his fights inside the Octagon.

UFC president Dana White promised up to 60 fighters would be released. The promotion had 660 fighters under contract when White said that, and he’s already made good on his promise. We saw the promotion make plenty of cuts in late 2020, including cutting stars like Anderson Silva and Yoel Romero, and the organization figures to release many more in early 2021. Unfortunately for McKee, he was among the latest casualties of the UFC’s bloated roster issue.

McKee posted a story to his Instagram on Wednesday indicating that he has been released by the UFC. Check out what he said (Via Sean Sheehan).

According to his Instagram, Rhys McKee is no longer in UFC. Pity. Would love to have seen him get another opportunity. pic.twitter.com/szKKnc0Lj5

— Seán Sheehan (@SeanSheehanBA) January 20, 2021

“For me, it’s time to go and improve my game in all areas and take care of my weakness, my next fight will not be in the UFC, but I will return to there a different level. The fight game is a game of margins and inches, I understand at the top there is no grace, but I’ll be back there trust that!” McKee wrote.

McKee (10-4-1) had a rough go in his UFC run, but let’s be fair to him. Only 25 years old, the Northern Ireland native had the pleasure of fighting Khamzat Chimaev on short notice in his UFC debut on Fight Island. Not surprisingly, he lost that fight. In his next outing, the promotion paired him up with Alex Morono. He lost the fight by unanimous decision, but it was a very exciting contest for what it was and many fans were excited to watch him fight again.

There will likely be many promotions interested in McKee considering his age and UFC experience. Cage Warriors would likely take him back in a second, but Bellator and PFL could also take a shot at him. His goal is to get back to the UFC one day, but for now, the journey continues for McKee somewhere else.

Do you think Rhys McKee deserved to be cut, or do you think he should have been given one more fight?