Sokoudjou Cut From The UFC

by Robert Sargent

After managing just one win in three UFC bouts, former PRIDE upset king and top-10 light heavyweight "The African Assassin" Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou has been cut from the UFC following his recent disappointing loss to Luis "Banha" Cane at UFC 89.

Sokoudjou's departure comes soon after another top-10 star, heavyweight Fabricio "Vai Cavalo" Werdum, also left the promotion after being knocked out by Junior dos Santos.

Sokoudjou exploded onto the MMA scene in 2007 after debuting in the PRIDE promotion during its final days. Sporting a meagre 2-1 record, few gave the native of Cameroon any chance at PRIDE 33 against Antonio Rogerio "Minotoro" Nogueira, who was and remains as one of the best light heavyweights in the sport's history.

However, in just 23 seconds, a massive punch from the giant Sokoudjou knocked Nogueira out cold, giving Nogueira the first stoppage loss of his career and beginning what would become known as "The Year of the Upsets."

Returning to competition just weeks later at PRIDE 34, Sokoudjou dispatched of the former #1 contender for the PRIDE Middleweight (205 Pounds) Championship, Ricardo Arona. The fight lasted less than two minutes.

Having a pair of back-to-back knockout wins over two highly-regarded top-10 light heavyweights landed Sokoudjou a spot in the UFC, where he debuted at UFC 79 against tactical striker Lyoto "The Dragon" Machida. Though Sokoudjou was submitted by Machida, the loss was hardly something to be ashamed of, as no one has yet been able to figure out a counter for Machida's highly unorthodoxed style.

After rebounding with a victory over former PRIDE gatekeeper Kazuhiro Nakamura, Sokoudjou squared off against rising star Luis "Banha" Cane at UFC 89. In the early stages, it looked like the Sokoudjou of old, as he flashed a variety of high-impact kicks and landed with quick flurries of punches. Cane seemed to have little recourse beyond evading as many strikes as he could.

However, as has been the main problem among Team Quest members since Randy Couture's departure from the camp years ago, Sokoudjou began to tire in round two and was eventually finished with strikes. The loss would have seen his status in the company drop considerably over the coming months had he continued with the UFC.

Now, though, Sokoudjou will have to re-evaluate his options and will likely head back overseas to Japan. Signing with World Victory Road could potentially set up a rematch with Nogueira, while Arona has publicly stated that he intends to return to competition somewhere in 2009.

Regardless, we will not see the explosive native of Cameroon back in the Octagon until he obtains some much-needed wins.