Elias Theodorou has been a ranked fighter in the middleweight division, while Wilson Reis not too long ago challenged for the UFC Flyweight Championship. However, according to a report by Combate which has since been confirmed by UFC, they are among the four fighters recently released by the premiere MMA organization.

Elias Theodorou (16-3 MMA) has been one of the top middleweights in the promotion, amassing a record of eight wins and three losses (8-3) in the UFC. The TUF Nations winner most recently lost to Derek Brunson at UFC Ottawa. While the fight wasn’t aesthetically pleasing, it once again reaffirmed the notion — and speculation — that the promotion wants fighters to be exciting, and not just care about winning.

The other prominent name to find himself on the chopping block was Wilson Reis (23-10). Reis not too long ago challenged Demetrious Johnson for the flyweight title. However, unlike Elias who had a respectable win-loss record recently, Reis has slipped to one win and four losses in his last five fights. Wilson most recently lost to Alexandre Pentoja by TKO in the first round.

The other two fighters, who were also released were Marcelo Golm and Eric Shelton. Golm (6-3) hasn’t had the best of starts under the UFC banner, going 1-3 in his four fights for the promotion. He most recently lost to Sergey Pavlovich at UFC Saint Petersburg by knockout, and suffered two decision losses in his previous fights.

The last casualty in the string of roster cuts, Eric Shelton fought on season 24 of The Ultimate Fighter, reaching the semi-finals of the tournament before losing to Tim Elliott. He also lost his most recent fight back in March, losing by decision to Jordan Espinosa.