Dana White’s Contender Series has grown in popularity and has become the main source of promotions for signing new talent, meaning there have been more roster cuts this year than ever before.

Clay Guida, Chris Weidman and Anthony Smith all lose their UFC 310 fights

Kicking off the evening for the veteran trio was former UFC lightweight contender Clay Guida. The 43-year-old took on Chase Hooper, who has won four straight fights since moving up to 155 pounds last year.

There was a 17-year age difference in this fight, which was a concern from the start. “The Carpenter” Guida has always been known for his relentless pressure and intense cardio, but he didn’t have the opportunity to prove it against “The Dream.”

The 25-year-old secured an armbar victory in the first round. This matchup showcases the two different ends of an MMA journey, with Hooper now solidifying himself as a future contender in the lightweight division.

Bizarrely, next up, still in the first preliminary portion of the card, was former middleweight champion Chris Weidman.

“The All-American” was scheduled to face Eryk Anders at UFC 309 in his home state of New York, but just hours before their fight, Anders pulled out due to food poisoning. Fast forward to UFC 310, and Anders scored the TKO victory over the 40-year-old in round two.

The final veteran to compete on the card was former light heavyweight title challenger Anthony Smith, who took on the returning Dominick Reyes.

Fans have been calling for “Lionheart’s” retirement for some time, and this Saturday the call was reinforced when he was knocked down by Reyes in round two.

What was concerning was that Reyes revealed at the UFC 310 post-fight press conference that Smith lowered his hands during the fight and told Reyes to punch him in the face because “he wanted to feel something.”

“There was a point in the first round where he put his hands down and said, ‘Hit me in the face’ … and that’s my job, right,” Reyes said.

Dana White implores Guida, Weidman and Reyes to retire after UFC 310

Despite losing all of their fights, none of the three fighters officially announced that they were retiring, which has caused concern not only among the fanbase but also UFC CEO Dana White.

“They’re all retiring tonight. “You should all retire tonight,” White suggested at the UFC 310 post-fight press conference.

The UFC boss then got quite heated with a member of the media who asked him what he thought of Kron Gracie’s performance against Bryce Mitchell, as White felt like he was trying to get him to “shit on all the fighters.”

“So you’re like, ‘What do you think about Weidman and this guy and that guy?’ I told them to back off. “What do you think about Kron tonight?” I don’t like how you’re leading me down this path. I know what you’re doing, you know the answer to the question, but you just want me to say it or something.

“You say ‘Kron looked limited, what do you think?’, do you have anything positive or do you want me to shit on everyone on the card tonight?” White continued.

Still, the majority of the UFC fan base agrees with White that Guida, Weidman and Smith should retire after their respective careers.

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