The UFC Mexico City fallout has officially begun.
Today (Mon., March 2, 2026), reporter Guilherme Cruz revealed that two fighters have been removed from the UFC’s active roster — meaning they’ve either been released outright or the promotion opted not to renew their contracts.
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Those two names? Jose Medina and Felipe Bunes, both of whom competed at UFC Mexico City last weekend.
There’s a legitimate argument to be made that Medina (11-7) is one of the worst signings to ever come off Contender Series — maybe one of the worst signings, period. I’ll let you debate that part.
Medina earned a contract on Season 7 of Contender Series despite getting thoroughly beaten for three rounds, dropping a clear 30-27 decision to Magomed Gadzhiyasulov (who, ironically, has also since been released). UFC CEO Dana White, for reasons still unclear, signed Medina after he showed “heart” and emotion during the bout — basically being a Nate Diaz knockoff.
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The results inside the Octagon were brutal.
Medina went 0-4 in the promotion, serving as little more than a stepping stone (and punching bag) for rising prospects like Ateba Gautier (watch highlights), Zach Reese, and most recently Ryan Gandra, who flattened him in 41 seconds at UFC Mexico City (watch highlights).
He does leave with one distinction: the second Bolivian fighter to ever compete in the UFC.
As for Bunes (14-9), his run wasn’t much better.
The former LFA Flyweight champion signed in 2023 and was scheduled to debut against Zhalgas Zhumagulov on short notice, only for a failed pre-fight drug test to cancel the bout. He eventually debuted against current champion Joshua Van on the first UFC card of 2024 and was knocked out in the second round (watch highlights).
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After nearly a year away, Bunes rebounded with a first-round submission win over Jose Johnson in 2025. But he proceeded to drop his next two fights, most recently falling to Edgar Chairez in Mexico City.
He exits the promotion with a 1-3 UFC record.
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