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[dan the man 67]

Rob Emerson, Brad Blackburn and Fabricio Camoes released by UFC | MMAjunkie.com

Rob Emerson, Brad Blackburn and Fabricio Camoes released by UFC
by MMAjunkie.com Staff on Apr 15, 2010 at 8:00 am ET

Add three more fighters to the list of those recently released from the UFC.

On the heels of news that welterweight Jason High (9-3 MMA, 0-1 UFC) was let go from the promotion after one loss, MMAjunkie.com (UFC blog for UFC news, UFC rumors, fighter interviews and event previews/recaps | MMAjunkie.com) has been informed that the contracts of fighters Rob Emerson, Brad Blackburn and Fabricio Camoes have also been cut short.

Sources close to the promotion confirmed the releases late Wednesday night.

Lightweight Emerson (9-9 MMA, 3-3 UFC) served as a cast member of "The Ultimate Fighter 5" and was eliminated in the first round of the tournament-based reality show.

He got off to an unusual start in his professional octagon career when his fight with Gray Maynard at the show's finale was ruled a no contest when "The Bully" knocked himself unconscious just as "The Saint" submitted to a rib injury during the fight.

Emerson rebounded from the odd result with back-to-back wins over Keita Nakamura and Manny Gamburyan. But after a 1-3 stretch that included two consecutive losses to Kurt Pellegrino and Rafael Dos Anjos and a loss to Nik Lentz in his most recent performance at UFC Fight Night 21, Emerson ran out of chances.

Welterweight Blackburn (15-11 MMA, 3-2 UFC) found his way to the UFC as a standout of the now-defunct International Fight League and immediately announced his presence with three consecutive octagon victories, including one over respected veteran Ryo Chonan.

Along the way, Blackburn suffered from injuries to his neck and shoulder.

He returned to action in January but fell short against Amir Sadollah at UFC Fight Night 20, then lost to Damarques Johnson at UFC 112 this past Saturday.

Out of the three latest cuts, lightweight Camoes got the least amount of cage time.

Camoes (10-5-1 MMA, 0-1-1 UFC), a San Diego resident from Curitiba, Brazil, earned his UFC contract with a seven-fight win streak that included a win over UFC veteran Sam Morgan. In his octagon debut, he fought Caol Uno to a draw in which he had one point deducted for an illegal blow.

The Brazilian looked for redemption against Kurt Pellegrino at UFC 111 but fell prey to a rear-naked choke in the fight's second round.

[CJRockstar]

Dana White is cleaning house cuz he's pissed. lol

[TBEAR]

Originally Posted by CJRockstar

Dana White is cleaning house cuz he's pissed. lol

lol damn

[macewen]

not surprised, some reason i like emerson, hope to see em get some W's somewhere else

[KevoOnTheRadio]

I think Blackburn will be back, just gotta get back on the winning track. Is anyone else as surprised as I am that Emerson lasted as long as he did in the UFC? I thought he would have been cut after that no-decision against Maynard.

[LethalStriker]

Emerson got lucky in the Maynard fight that it ended in a No Contest instead of the Loss it was guaranteed to be. If he had lost to Maynard he would've probably been cut from back then.

[goodtimes]

Kind of surprises me that they cut Blackburn, he looked like a solid talent, but the others I'm not really surprised.

[beau420]

I feel bad for Emerson. I thought he looked great against Nover. But I think that he has reached his peak...although looking at the opponents he has faced over the years, he should be respected and we will likely see him hired by another promotion.

Blackburn is all over the place...very unreliable. Who knows if the real Blackburn shows up or not. I agree that if he gets 2-3 wins in other promotions, we will see him back in the UFC.

Camoes hasn't been too impressive in his last 2 fights. Although I thought Caol Uno beat him...Camoes needs to improve his boxing...needs to improve his jab and his takedown defense. I was surprised to see Kurt P choke him. Kurt was all over him.

I didn't think Camoes would last too long, because the main reason they hired him was because Strikeforce didn't sign him in time. Before mid last year he was in two ShoXC cards and one ShoMMA card, then the UFC grabbed him and matched him up against 2 experienced, well rounded veterans in Caol and Kurt.

Overall, I am surprised by the move. But not shocked.

Wonder if there are gonna be some more guys being let go?

My guesses are -
Mostapha Al Turk
Chase Gormley
I am confused why Keith Jardine is still under employment by the UFC (2 wins in last 7, 1 in last 5...and those 2 wins were both by split decision)
maybe Matt Veach, but I think he got pretty banged up during his loss....and he did good for one round
I hope they give Duane Ludwig one more chance after his ankle heals

[BBG]

Originally Posted by KevoOnTheRadio

I think Blackburn will be back, just gotta get back on the winning track. Is anyone else as surprised as I am that Emerson lasted as long as he did in the UFC? I thought he would have been cut after that no-decision against Maynard.

Originally Posted by goodtimes

Kind of surprises me that they cut Blackburn, he looked like a solid talent, but the others I'm not really surprised.

I agree with both counts.

On the Jardine topic ^ above...I have been calling for his dismissal for a long time. But I understand that in business you do not want to give up ANYTHING that will give ammunition for your competitor to use for growth and stability. StrikeFarce would pick him up and he would be a top guy over there.

[willpunisher]

Lucio Linhares, Rafaello Trator, Ronys Torres, Caol Uno, Shannon Gugerty and Eric Schafer were also fired too.

Super Lutas - Ronys, Trator e Lucio Linhares so demitidos do UFC