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**HitOrGetHit** · 06-29-2012, 05:33 PM

Quote:

Carlos Eduardo Rocha (9-2 MMA, 1-2 UFC) reportedly has been released by the UFC.

The welterweight told Brazilian MMA news outlet Tatame he has been let go by the promotion following back-to-back decision losses.

Rocha last fought three weeks ago at UFC on FX 3 in Florida, where he dropped a unanimous decision to Mike Pierce. That was his first fight in 16 months after injury setbacks.

Pierce took Rocha down in each of the three rounds of the preliminary card, which aired on FUEL TV. In the striking department, Pierce also dominated – outstriking Rocha 117-38 according to FightMetric.

But Rocha took exception to Pierce's game plan, telling Tatame it's what led to his release.

"I went there to fight MMA and he wants to win by points," Rocha told Tatame. "… This is bull(expletive). … I had good performances and even so I was cut off. I didn’t expect this. … He didn’t attack me on the clinch, he didn’t hit me or let me hit him. That’s not MMA."

Rocha started his career 8-0 with seven finishes and a corner stoppage, all in Germany, where he was based out of. Those eight wins – seven in the first round – earned him a call from the UFC and a fight on the promotion's debut in Germany.

At UFC 122 in November 2010, Rocha continued his impressive run in front of his adopted home crowd, stopping Kris McCray, a "TUF" runner-up, with a first-round kneebar.

But in February 2011, after a Jon Fitch-Jake Ellenberger fight was scrapped so Fitch could fight B.J. Penn, Rocha stepped in to face Ellenberger. And despite getting a controversial 30-27 score from one judge, two others scored the fight for Ellenberger.

After injuries kept him out the remainder of 2011 and nearly half of 2012, Rocha returned earlier this month to face Pierce in Sunrise, Fla. And while the fight initially was announced as a split decision loss for Rocha, as MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) first reported, the bout actually was a unanimous decision setback – and the one that earned him a pink slip.

http://mmajunkie.com/news/29450/repo...ike-pierce.mma

LL · 06-29-2012, 06:36 PM

And people wonder why these guys play it safe.

jonnyg4508 · 06-29-2012, 06:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheLyotoLegion

And people wonder why these guys play it safe.

I agree with you.

**Roflcopter** · 06-29-2012, 07:19 PM

Oh? And what exactly was "safe" for Rocha and how would it have helped him beat a clearly vastly superior fighter in Mike Pierce?

Funny thing, Rocha talks about fighting for points when he was the one curled up in a defensive position against the cage about 10 seconds away from possibly being stopped.

This doesn't really surprise me either. This guy hasn't been active at all and I thought a dominating loss could've earned him his pink slip.