UFC Mexico City was supposed to be remembered for the chaos within the cage. Instead, some of the talk focused on what happened after the lights went out—a rare non-sellout, as there were around 3,500 empty seats, a first non-sellout in three years. And there was no gate disclosed by Dana White either. For a company that has made “sold out” feel like the norm, that stood out.

As numbers start looking different, so do the decisions being made. The post-event fallout didn’t take long as two names were discreetly cut from the active roster. There was no dramatic sendoff, just business.

More fighters shown the door by Dana White after UFC Mexico losses

Jose Medina’s UFC career never found its footing. Signed off Contender Series by Dana White after showing “heart” in a decisive loss, he came into the promotion with more doubts than momentum.

“I didn’t talk to the matchmakers about this, I didn’t talk to anybody about this, but I could be doing this for all the wrong reasons, I could be doing this for all the right reasons,” he said. “I don’t know what the answer is right now, but I’m gonna do it. I’m gonna bring Medina into the UFC,” White had said at the time.

But inside the Octagon, it got rough fast. Medina finished his UFC run 0-4 and served as a stepping stone for prospects. And as Ryan Gandra defeated him in just 41 seconds in Mexico City, this became the final chapter. There’s a harsh reality to fighting at this level as the middleweight just found out.

Medina leaves as only the second Bolivian to compete in the UFC, which is history in its own way. But results are more important than representation. Four fights. Four losses. And when you’re 11-7 overall and winless in the big show, the margin is thin.

Felipe Bunes didn’t fare much better. The former LFA flyweight champion’s start was rough, with his debut canceled due to a failed pre-fight drug test in 2023. He eventually stepped in against Joshua Van in January 2024 and got stopped.

In 2025, he had a brief comeback with a submission win, but he then lost two more fights, including one to Edgar Chairez in Mexico City. Now, he exits the UFC with a record of 1-3.

On a wild fight card that already had unusual optics outside the cage, these cuts add another layer. When events don’t sell out, and momentum is shaky, roster cuts usually follow. It isn’t personal. It’s just how the fight business works.

After Mexico City, the promotion made it clear that performance—and timing—still decide everything. And to make matters worse, this wasn’t the only financial blow for the UFC. In fact, the 3,500 empty seats just look like a little scratch when compared to the big dent that the White House card is set to leave behind.

UFC to lose $30 million through the White House event

If Mexico City was a warning sign, the White House card feels like a calculated risk being taken by Dana White and the rest of the UFC brass. While 3,500 unfilled tickets are disappointing, they pale in comparison to willingly walking into an event expected to burn through tens of millions.

TKO president Mark Shapiro stated it bluntly on a financial call last week. The White House event is expected to cost over $60 million if all expenses are taken into account, and that includes production, fighter pay, fan experiences, and the overall spectacle.

And by the time it’s fully built out, that number could climb even higher. The plan? Try to recover about half.

“We are working to determine, on a parallel track, a package of inventory in and around the weekend of events we can monetize, primarily with corporate partners,” Mark Shapiro said. (Business to business) players that will offset half of the spend.

“Even if that $60(million) goes up or rides up on us, we believe we can offset half of the spend. Today, we see as $60 (million), offsetting $30 (million).”

Even with corporate partnerships and a broader TKO deal working their best in the best-case scenario, that still leaves around $30 million on the table. In other words, this is not about making an immediate profit. It’s about optics. It is about legacy. It’s about Dana White and the promotion putting on an event so big that the financial consequences become secondary to the headline.