Former lightweight title challenger (and TUF season two winner) Joe “Daddy” Stevenson has been officially released by the Ultimate Fighting Championship after hitting a brutal four fight skid.
Stevenson launched his UFC career with an impressive mark of 5-1, losing only to Josh Neer (via unanimous decision) while picking up big victories over Melvin Guillard, Yves Edwards and Kurt Pellegrino.
Four consecutive wins led to a title clash with B.J. Penn in January of 2008. Stevenson came up short in the bout, losing via rear naked choke in the final minute of the second frame. Since his lone title bid, Stevenson has been experienced a tumultuous run in the UFC.
Solid wins over Gleison Tibau, Spencer Fisher and Nate Diaz would follow for Stevenson, but frequent losses continuously diminished any hope of “Daddy” returning to prominence.
Joe recently dropped a weight class, heading for 145 pounds after repeated defeats, but tough veteran Javier Vazquez put the breaks on any goals of immediate success in the featherweight division when he secured a unanimous decision victory over the Greg Jackson representative at UFC Live 4.
Joe Stevenson exits the UFC ranks with a promotional record of 8-8.
