Dana White cuts four more UFC fighters in ruthless purge weeks before White House card

UFC is two weeks away from its gargantuan summer event in Donald Trump's garden and head honcho has further cut the promotion's roster.

White has dispensed with four more fighters after the departures of Austen Lane and Jesus Aguilar last month.

UFC will hold upwards of 50 fights this summer as part of Dana White's Contender Series, creating the need for space on the roster for new blood.

Turning over fighters helps to keep UFC fresh and dynamic, and four more have now dropped off the roster.

Bantamweight Daniel Marcos, lightweight Jamie Mullarkey, featherweight Lando Vannata and a second bantamweight, Vince Morales, have been released in the latest trimming exercise, reports Bloody Elbow.

Of the four fighters dropped, Peruvian Marcos is the biggest shock. The 33-year-old leaves UFC with an overall MMA record of 18-1.

Marcos was a Contender Series winner in September 2022 and arrived in the promotion with a 13-0 record. He was beaten by unanimous decision by Montel Jackson a year ago but ended 2025 with a submission victory over American fighter Miles Johns.

"There was never any negotiation, there was never any renewal, in the end the decision was that they would not continue with me and to this day I have no clear explanation of why," Marcos posted on Instagram.

31-year-old Australian Mullarkey ended 2025 with his first win in the octagon for two years but was stopped by compatriot Quillan Salkilld in Sydney in January.

His UFC run ends with a 6-7 record and an overall MMA record of 18 wins and nine losses.

Vannata, 34, has won four of his UFC fights since joining the promotion 10 years ago. Consecutive defeats against Charles Jourdain, Daniel Zellhuber and Darrius Flowers over the course the last four years, the latter in April after he missed weight, put the writing on the wall.

Morales was dropped on the back of four losses in a row, each on a different continent.

UFC heads for the White House

Three days after the start of the football World Cup, co-hosted by the United States, UFC rolls into the South Lawn of the White House for UFC Freedom 250.

White and UFC tickling Trump's ego for his 80th birthday is wholly unsurprising and definitely won't appear in future documentaries about sport and political power.

Ilia Topuria will defend the lightweight belt against Justin Gaethje, and Alex Pereira and Ciryl Gane will meet for the interim heavyweight championship.