Overview

• The TUF 29 winner was cut after weighing 190 pounds for UFC 319, scrapping his bout with Nursulton Ruziboev.
• It was his second straight miss following a failed welterweight cut for a bout with Randy Brown last December.
• Days later he signed with Dirty Boxing, weighed in at 186 pounds in Miami, and is scheduled to face Derik de Freitas on Friday.
• Battle says the release was justified and calls it the result of his own actions, while dismissing online hostility and stressing accountability.
• He acknowledged ignoring Sean Strickland’s warning about moving to middleweight and addressed a brief post-weigh-in nightlife video that drew fan criticism.