After suffering back-to-back losses, lightweight Thomas Gifford has announced that he’s been released from his UFC contract. An Arkansas native, Gifford (17-9 MMA, 0-2 UFC) made his UFC debut in April, losing a unanimous decision to Roosevelt Roberts at UFC on ESPN+ 8. He got a second opportunity when he was initially scheduled to face Brok Weaver at October’s UFC on ESPN+ 19, but a last-second replacement saw Mike Davis step in his place. Gifford suffered a third-round knockout loss. It was a brutal loss for Gifford , who took a beating throughout the fight, showing incredible heart and toughness.