UFC releases fighter after losing to massive underdog

The UFC's year-end purge of fighters with mediocre resumes continued Tuesday. Jake “White Kong” Hadley was released less than 72 hours after his loss to Cameron Smotherman at UFC Vegas 99 on Saturday.

Hadley entered the fight as the minus-550 favorite, and Smotherman, who took the fight less than a week in advance to replace Brady Hiestand, was a plus-390 underdog.

Smotherman had better boxing and the necessary takedown defense to secure the unanimous decision victory (30-26, 29-27×2). Hadley was even penalized one point in the fight for two eye pokes.

After news of Hadley's release spread, the 28-year-old addressed his fans on Instagram. Hadley posted a picture of the fight with Smotherman with this caption.

“The fighting game with the highest highs and the lowest lows, the warrior's path is always the most difficult, that's why no one has the guts to do what we do. Congratulations to Cameron on a great fight. We’ll be back, see you soon.”

#UFCVegas99 #UFC #TEAMHADLEY #whitekong”

Hadley broke into the UFC when he secured a second-round submission win over Mitch Rapnoso on season five of the Dana White Contender Series. He memorably cried as he endured White's decision to offer him a contract.

Since arriving in the UFC, Hadley has compiled a record of 3-4. However, he has lost three of his last four, and with the promotion making room for new additions from DWCS Season 8, Hadley suffered a roster loss.

Hadley may not go long without a promotion. Professional Fighters League analyst Dan Hardy announced on IG that Hadley's release caught his attention.

As the PFL looks to build a bantamweight division, a fighter like Hadley could be a solid addition to the season's format. The promotion will require more than Hadley, but from a pure depth perspective, it wouldn't be a terrible acquisition.

As for Smotherman, he looked excellent against Hadley. His athleticism, toughness and focus were on display as he made the most of his opportunity.

Like Hadley, Smotherman had a chance to end up in the UFC as a competitor on DWCS in Season 7. However, Charalampos Grigoriou knocked out Smotherman within 60 seconds.

To Smotherman's credit, the 27-year-old bounced back with three straight wins, giving him a second chance to make the UFC's main roster. Two of these three victories came from exciting final results.

A flying knee KO in November 2023 started the series, and less than three months before he received the call to replace Hiestand, Smotherman submitted Anaconda Choke to Ryan Mondala.

The next step for Smotherman will be to maintain his momentum and aim to string together wins. He could be in the same situation as Hadley if he can't produce wins or exciting fights.

Maybe Smotherman will face Hiestand in his next fight, or who knows, maybe he'll be someone else's late replacement.

It seems like this would be a comfortable role for him.