Apparently the UFC has seen enough of Travis Lutter. Pramit Mohapatra of FightTicker.com has confirmed with “The Serial Killer” that he’s been released from his UFC contract effective immediately.
Lutter (9-5) seemed on the verge of a career resurgence after a successful stint on The Ultimate Fighter 4 where he defeated Patrick Cote to earn a title shot against middleweight deity Anderson Silva.
Lutter however squandered the opportunity (despite a good showing against Silva) by failing to make weight for the biggest fight of his career. That particular shortcoming cost him the respect of many fans and even UFC President Dana White.
Still, Lutter was able to continue fighting but had to pull out of his UFC 74 fight with Ryan Jensen after re-aggravating an old neck injury. During his hiatus former middleweight champion Rich Franklin was victorious over Jason MacDonald and Yushin Okami before being dismantled by Anderson Silva for a second time.
That left “Ace” with little options in his weight class – and a perfect opportunity for Travis Lutter to erase some bad memories. Once again Lutter held a dominant position in the first round, but his lack of conditioning left him a sitting duck for the calculated assault of Franklin in round two.
Two opportunities against two of the UFC’s top middleweights. Two opportunities squandered from what seemingly could have been prevented by Lutter himself.
It’s no secret that the UFC has been increasingly frugal with the employee payroll, but one has to wonder how much Lutter contributed to his own demise.
83 Comments »
about time? he needs to build his career up in other organizations, if he trains on his cardio he has a chance to break in the top ten
I agree I really think that if he wasn’t lazy he could be one of the best. I know I’m going to get it for this but with good cardio I think he could even beat anderson. I mean he almost beat him without it.
are u kiddin cardio or not he has no chance silva gettin better an better lutter gettin fatter an fatter he will get hurt bad
I agree lutter is not 100% focused on his UFC Career, he obviously hasnt learned his lesson from the anderson fight. His poor cardio gives the ufc a bad name.
I am thrilled to hear that this constant under achiever will never be sold to me in a big UFC fight again! I am so happy to hear tis news!
u hit the nail on the head john. this guy was completely overhyped and should be fighting in some local town events, not ppv. he’s an embarrassment to the organization and his fight against franklin was 100% laughable
I have a feeling his cardio will never get better, not all fighters can continue to get better in their 30’s some just begin to fade, I think he’s one of ‘em. I wasn’t all that impressed with Franklin’s cardio either, it’s just that Lutter’s was so bad it made Franklin look good.
I’m not saying that Franklin doesn’t train his cardio, obviously he’s a hard worker, it’s just that I notice it’s not quite as good as it once was.
I agree, he looked pretty gassed as well in the second round. Seemed like he had just enough in the tank to finish the fight, but barely. Then again, I’m not the one who was getting my ass handed to me in the first round!
lets see, ufc 83 alumni, starnes OUT, mcarthy OUT, lutter OUT, wow , does anyone see a pattern, something in the water in montreal?
ha. Have fun with Kalib Starnes in Elite XC.
No i dont think he will ever fight again i think his fighting days are over back to teaching for him. as they say those who cant do teach
God, what an annoying phrase. 90% of the smartest people I’ve met are or have been teachers. They do a lot.
Your experiences don’t dictate reality to anyone but yourself.
For example shwan tompkins is one of the best trainers out there but he has never wonnan mma fight he 0-4 but man can the guy teach
Pat Miletich, Matt Hughes and Randy Couture are just a few fighters who can refute that adage. However, I do think that there is a large difference between intelligence and ability. I think you’ll find more poor fighters but great coaches than you will dumb teachers who are great at teaching.
Exactly, I bet they have him signed by the end of the week. I know they’re taking in UFC rejects, but at the same time, they’re building a stable of fighters that people recognize….therefore, they can promote.
I called this right after the fight just like most people im sure. why watch a guy who can barley get out of the first round without gasing
i dont get it. he’s still top 5 MW in the UFC. his bjj is world class.
His problem is his fitness is on par with Homer Simpson’s. To come into an opportunity of a lifetime title fight that he knew about months in advance overweight, then follow up with that pathetic display of physical fitness he showed against Franklin is beyond unprofessional. I would even go so far as to say it’s insulting to Dana and the UFC, to his opponent, and to the fans who are paying to see world class fighters in action. There are thousands of people who would kill for a UFC title shot and the opportunity to make a 6-figure living, maybe even 7-figures, and he threw it away because he couldn’t bring himself to do a few sprints. I say good riddance.
PW: that was a funny but very intellligent post! good stuff!
Great Post!!
in round 1 his bjj is world class
He totally gased after the first round that is 2 major fights where he gased and it caused a loss. Rich Franklin is a cardio machine you need to be in great shape to compete with him even if you are better he will set a pace you can’t keep up
he’s talented – just not very smart unfortunately. How can you neglect your cardio that much?
if he had just lasted thru 3 rounds to make it competitive against franklin – he wouldve earned back alot of fans..
I feel bad for him
He’s got a hot wife tho so don’t feel too bad.
Dont feel bad for him.. Hes an idiot! How can you be in that kinda shape and expect to compete against guys who can go 5 hard rounds… hes had his chances and dana has seen enough of his bull, there are alot of other fighters that will come in shape and ready to fight.
In an interview Lutter said his cardio was not why he appeared to be gassed. He said he was stunned from a Franklin punch 18 seconds into the round. He said he was out of it after that.
This guy has the talent to be one of the best, maybe even the best, in the MW division. Its just too bad he doesn’t train like a champion.
Dana’s doing good lately.
How could you feel bad for him. He shoulda been happy to get a second opportunity after missing weight vs. Silva. And then he shoes up completely gassed and obviously out of shape against Ace. Regardless of what he states, punch or not, his training regime has to be questioned. The UFC isn’t going to hold onto people who aren’t hungry to fight.
he is the only man I think who didn’t care at all about improving his stand-up, it still looks amateurish.
And this tells a lot about his mentality.
Hopefully it teaches him a lesson. Two fights ago… fighting the champion. Now…. waiting tables and eating the scraps.
poor lutter!
ya f*cked up dude, u blew it… thats probably what dana told him! lol
lol I know huh
He really should know that he was a fat ass out of shape bum and sorted it out! Simple. If he’d ran a few miles a day for a few weeks leading up to the fight, he’d have at least gone the distance (maybe!), looked a better fighter/ put up a better fight etc etc. Then would he be booted out the UFC?…… Nope. More fool him. MUG!
How is Lutter top 5 in the UFC? And how is his BJJ world class?
The guy sucks, overrated….anyone who believes in Lutter, is a TUF rookie who has been sold by the UFC hype machine
What has he done in the UFC except put on 2 TERRIBLE performances?
im sure u call everyone who has an opinion thats not in agreement with yours a “TUF newbie”. I dont even watch TUF, that shit takes time away from real fights. And how does TUF have anything to do with Lutter? Im a vet, been watchin it since the first.
I said his bjj is world class, and it is. I said he’s top 5 MW, ok then, top 8 MW. Two terrible performances??? everyone knows he did well against silva, and he did well in rd.1 against franklin.
He put up a pretty good fight against the best in the division. That’s a strong enough case.
you mean the best in the division that had just had surgery on both his knees? all lutter had on that fight was the mount, everything else was all anderson and the spider wasn’t even at 100%
I wouldnt say he sucks. I would say that if you fail to make weight for possibly your only opportunity at a title fight, then your mind is obviously not into fighting. WHile all you ne wguys out there think that he had anderson silva in trouble, if you watch silva, he was never in trouble. More like biding his time. I dont think he should have been given franklin as his first fight after a year, but you have to give him credit in that he was very close to pulling off that arm bar. good luck lutter. Please stop bashing Elite XC. remember, that they still have quality fighters such as nick diaz and JZ Calvacante that would more than excel in UFC
ufc is tuffening up on fight loosers lately
Lack of respect for his opponents and he didn’t take the fighting seriously enough. Not showing up ready to fight in his two last fights, his two biggest fights, shows that.
Later Lutter. Don’t let the door hit you in the ass.
UFC should fire more people.
Like Kendall Grove, Melvin Guillard, etc
I think they should let grove go if he loses to tanner just like if tanner loses he should also be done
I agree Grove should move on–not everyone from the show has developed. But I certainly don’t think if you lose you should be let go. If you’re in shape and put on an exciting fight–regardless of the outcome–you should be allowed to keep at it. There’s a huge difference between Tanner and Starnes.
Well if they tuff’n up on losers Hughs better be ready.
I dont think hughs is top 5 anymore in the ww division, he was but thats not the case now.
Lutter actually did well vs Silva, I thought he had some potential but he dropped the ball.
now here are guys I would like to see drop and who they could be replaced with.
Fabrico Werdum 4 Yoshida Hidehiko
Hermes Franca 4 Faber
Chris Leben 4 Denis Kang
Charles MacArthy 4 Akiyama
Bisping 4
Big non-mma Celebrity-sport champs types to sign-up would be…
Kurt Angle, Jimmy Pedro, Nicolas Gill, Billy Blanks, Tommy Gun
I hear you on some of the list, but Leben you are completely wrong! The dude isn’t pretty when he fights and doesn’t have any flying rear naked chokes or any thing but the guy can put on a show! Leben will get completely rocked and come back to win the fight. Leben and his foot stomps need to stay in the UFC!!
Why on earth would you want to drop werdum hes a great fighter he killed gonzaga why not get rid of him? and leban is not that bad
2 losses/unimpressive performances and ur cut. for jake o’brien it was 1 loss and 1 bad showing against herring, and he was cut. i hope dana isn’t dumb enough that he cuts hendo too. does a guy not get any credit for fighting top competition
Hendo went 5 rounds with Rampage. And wasn’t gased at the 2nd round with Silva. Lutter said that he was so hurt the fans were smashing him on the net and in hate mail. That alone should light the fire in your ass that you will be ready to go 100 rounds. If he lost but put on a good showing, I don’t think he would have got cut.
lutter has no place in the ufc
his cardio is a joke
he did not almost beat anderson silva
he wasnt even close to doing so
plus anderson was coming off surgey and was barely able to walk
id love to see the rematch so silva could tool him
the guys on TUF comeback failed the first time around for a reason
serra and lyttle were the only reasonable fighters there
serra is too small for 170
he is a far better fighter than most people give him credit for
but hes not top 5 at 170
could possibly be top 5 at 155 if BJ leaves
lyttle is an exciting fighter
heavy hands good conditioning
id say probably not champion material in ufc but a very tough guy who should of won TUF
hed be a perfect champion for elite xc as he is a decent fighter who always comes to fight
lutter on the other hand is a waste of space
very few fans
boring fighter
out of condition
with how out of shape he seems to be im amazed that the athletic commissions allow him to fight
its sad to see someone that talented waste it because he is not 100% focused on his ufc career, there are tonnes of fighters who would kill to have his bjj skills. If he changes his attitude he could be back, but i really can’t see it happening, if the whole weight cutting saga for the anderson fight didnt change his attitude then I dont know what will……. what a waste of talent
look at the bright side.. oh wait.. there is no bright side.
GOOD! The weight class is slim but still better off!
its much slimmer now that they trimmed the fat (pun intended).
Travis can grapple with the best of them. His Jitz skills are DEFINITELY UFC worthy and then some. Unfortunately, his gas tank stinks BIG TIME, as shown in the franklin fight. UFC level fighters should have enough cardio to go for days, and lutter doesn’t have that. Expect this to be the same reason josh burkman gets cut after dustin hazelett tears him a new one at the TUF 7 Finale after burkman gasses out after the first round (like he usually does) and loses via TKO or submission.
He should go do some running with kalib starnes!!
Ha ha, can you imagine a fight between the two??
Kalib would run away and Lutter would be too fat to chase him, a draw.
It’s official- being released from the UFC makes your hair fall out.
They should have to give lutter and other fighters that doesn’t want to leave with fights left on their contracts some compensation… it seems like they can cut whoever they want for free.. talk about signing a bad contract
Unfortuanately, the ufc has AT WILL contracts meaning that any fighter can be cut at will without honoring the rest of the contract. Not even the superstars have guaranteed contracts. Basically the ufc has a bunch of part time employees.
Thats not good, and then when Randy wants to leave early he has to go through litigation to be released and fight else where, random contracts but whatever, Dana does what Dana wants. Period. And ususly i cant complain, just look at UFC84 . . . Im all smiles = )!!!
Good Riddance. He has no comittment to training and approaching a fight well preapred. He got full mount position against Silva and yet, couldn’t do any damage at all, his punches looked very very very soft, no power. If you get full mount you gotta finish the fight or at least dominate it completely. It’s like loosing a 10 yard field goal. It just cannot happen
I don’t think Dana is thinking things trough to well lately. First Starnes, and now Lutter, both with fights left on contract. If he was smart he would hold onto them as long as possible fighting on unaired prelims, until nobody remembers there names. Letting them go now is just giving recognizable names to the up start orgs that the UFC has invested $$$ promoting. I’m not sad to see them go though. O-yeah, and Chris Leben has never had a boring fight, and totally belongs in the UFC! IMO of course.
Lutter vs Starnes
If Lutter could catch him before running out of breath, he would tie Starnes up in a knot.
He looks even worse on PPV when he’s saying that Franklin was lying about having surgery, feeling sorry for himself on getting hated for the Silva fight, and saying ‘do or die’ for the Franklin fight.
R.I.P. Lutter
Is that pic of him the worst pic of a fighter ever? he looks like Willem Defoe on coke.
he looks like that green guy from sin city
Ha ha ha ha, your so right!
I’m not a Lutter fan. I didn’t enjoy seeing him fight and hate his stupid comments afterward but if he had a contract, they should let him fight it out. Just don’t put them on the main card and ignore his comments. I know it seems pointless but for him, it would be better than nothing. I hate to see a contract broken.
I’m gonna go ahead and say that Dana made the wrong move dropping Lutter. Taking into account his world class bjj he should have been given a third and final chance to get his cardio in check. At the very least move the guy down to the prelims to get the message across; if you suck, you are out!
Oh and whilst i’m here Dana should think about dropping Tanner and Groves, i’m just not seeing much from these guys based on previous fights.
UFC is making a strong statement. Perform or you will be out, its that simple. They are the premier MMA organisation and are looking for exciting fights with competitors that have heart, skills and stamina. They are starting to understand that fans are paying to watch fights not one sided contests.
TUF shows this by having the guys fight to get in the house and the two episodes that have been shown have given two good fights.
It also make me think if McCarthy retired of his own accord or jumped before he was pushed.
I never rated Lutter. Trever Prangley who beat him in the past is a ten times better than him and really should have been in the UFC. Prangley would give anyone problems in the UFC and had an impressive winning streak until his last fight. And anyone who watched him fight Jeremy Horn knows he won that fight as well. The whole crowd booed when the judges gave the descision to Horn, there is no way he should have won that. Lutter was on the show for a reason, because he did not have what it takes to get a title shot through the normal route of going through all the top fighters to get it. It’s about time people have finally seen him for what he is.
Wow….another MW out….the divisions gets even thinner!
Oh well, can’t say I’m that bothered about Lutter, or McCarthy….erm or Kalib.
3 down but not much damage done me thinks, though I fancied Lutter as a gate keeper after the loss to Franklin. Guess the UFC aint playing no more….out with the drift wood!
Boo! lutter! You squanderer of second AND third chances! Yeah Lutter, we all understand that you might have better BJJ than most other middleweights, but this is MIXED martial arts, not a submission grappling tournament. I don’t care if it really was a Franklin punch or if he really does have the stamina of an asthmatic sickle-cell aenemic like I think he really does; either way he still didn’t come into his huge third chance for redemption prepared to do anything other than submit Franklin in the first round. boo. Good riddance.
Reason #126 why i hate TUF. Who has it given us besides Griffin, Rashad and Bisping? And 2 of those guys are totally overrated. What did we expect from a bunch of guys on Season 4 that couldn’t hack it the 1st time when the sport was a little fresher and sometimes you could rely on 1 discipline and win a fight? I hate that show. We’ve waited forever to see Rampage defend again because of the show. I understand he hurt his hand but 10-11 months? c’mon. Now if the rumours are true we’re gonna have to wait forever to see Big Nog defend. Scrap the show. Anyone else agree?
Harsh to say its given us just those three… Sanchez, Kos, Nate, Ken Flo, Jardine, to name but a few. It is a good way for fighters to get a foot in the door.
I too hate the delays in champs defending but still the show is entertaining. They do need to cut the show for a couple of years. What is it 6 seasons in 3 years… way too much.
naaaaa.. disagree. diego, koscheck, leben, joe daddy, ken-flo, nate diaz, lauzon, maynard, danzig, quarry, hammil to list a few. I like TUF, especially when they fight/argue out of boredom and film the guys struggling trying to make weight. LOL. that never gets old. plus, there are weirdos like cummo, tuppaware, rudeger, wang that are for pure entertainment value. You can’t script that kind of stuff. Cheap thrills! I like it!
i dont think luter had shitty cardio for that fight, he got hit with a f****** hard punch trying to take franklin down in the first few minutes of the first round. i dont agree with many of his viewpoints though
a) he says hed kick spyders ass if they fought again. silva had knee surgery just before the fight, thats why he was fucked up and couldnt really get much going.
b) marquardts jits is nearly as good as travises, marquardt is much stronger, faster, more athletic, way better wrestler, and when he fought a healthy anderson silva he got completely pawned.
c) Andersons jits gets way better every fight, and his striking is so deadly that the moment travis makes a mistake trying to take him down, he will get fucked up bad. In my mind the way i see it playing out in a rematch is travis shoots, he gets dazed with a flying knee, flops on his back (his weakness) and gnped with andersons laser sharp fists.
d) travis is best during the first few minutes of the fight, thats when he gives it his all, anderson likes to bait guys who do this. they throw their heat, then in the later minutes they make a mistake and BANG, dead.