Daniel Marcos is no longer on the UFC roster, a surprising cut for a bantamweight who went 5-1 with one no-contest in the promotion. The move came as four fighters were removed from the roster, including Marcos, Lando Vannata, Jamie Mullarkey and Vince Morales.

The timing is what makes the Daniel Marcos release stand out. He had won four of his six octagon appearances before being taken off the roster, and his last fight ended in November when he tapped out Miles Johns with a rear-naked choke. For a fighter who had also beaten Adrian Yanez, John Castañeda and Davey Grant in the UFC, the decision lands as a sharp break from his recent form.

Marcos had lost only one of his seven UFC fights, a decision to Montel Jackson in May 2025, which makes the cut harder to square with his record. He entered the promotion with an 18-1 record and one no-contest overall, and his UFC résumé had been built on steady results rather than a long skid or an injury-closed run. Instead, the roster move came after he had already shown he could beat established names at bantamweight.

The wider roster shakeup also included a veteran and two fighters with more uneven runs. Vannata has been in the UFC since 2016, when he stepped in on short notice to face Tony Ferguson, and he finished with four wins in 14 octagon appearances. Mullarkey left after an overall losing record in the UFC and a January defeat to Quillan Salkilld. Morales, who returned to the UFC in 2024 after leaving in 2022, had won five straight before going winless in four decisions against Colby Thicknesse, Raul Rosas Jr., Elijah Smith and Taylor Lapilus.

For Marcos, the unanswered part is not his recent work; it is why it was not enough. The UFC has not explained why a fighter coming off a rear-naked-choke win and carrying a 5-1-1 record in the promotion was removed, and that silence leaves his next step open. Whether he lands quickly elsewhere or has to wait for another chance to return, the cut closes one of the more unexpected chapters of the current roster cleanup.