Free agency the new norm? ‘They’re not doing anyone’s contract outside top 15’

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC We could see a lot more UFC fighters hitting free agency in the future.It used to be a rarity to see a fighter fight out their contract and enter free agency. The general policy was to see fighters sign a new deal before competing in the final bout on their existing contract. Not any more, according to UFC bantamweight Elijah Smith.Smith came into the UFC through Dana White’s Contender Series and has gone 4-0 with the promotion, three of those ending via finish. He’s not one of those boring decision merchants with no highlights to his name. So it was shocking to hear he wasn’t offered a new contract before fighting out his current contract against Davey Grant last weekend in Las Vegas. And that may be the new norm.“I knew that this was my last fight of my contract, and I was always told that we would probably renew a contract right before the last fight,” Smith told Ariel Helwani. “That didn’t happen. My manager got back to me. He said it’s something that they haven’t done before and they’re not doing anybody’s contract that’s outside of the top 15.”Elijah Smith sheds light on a potential change to the UFC's contract renewal policy:“I'm gonna give it to you guys cutthroat. I'm not gonna sugarcoat anything. I'm gonna tell y'all straight up right here, right now.I knew that this was my last fight of my contract, and I was… pic.twitter.com/WsLPtMSEBt— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) November 10, 2026“I was surprised,” he continued. “Coming off two finishes, I’m young, I’m marketable, I’m an exciting fighter. Fans want to see me fight. So I was super surprised. From what I’ve heard, that’s not the case in most instances.”“So I don’t know if they want to save money or something or there’s too many people on the roster, but yeah, that’s what it was. I got the fight and they’re not redoing anybody’s contract outside the top 15. So I guess everyone’s just fighting out their contract. I don’t know if that’s for all the weight classes or just the bantamweight weight class, but that’s what was told to me.”For years the UFC has been criticized for being so aggressive when it came to keeping fighters signed to the organization. If you weren’t willing to sign a new contract, there was a good chance you’d end up on the matchmakers’ bad side, potentially affecting your ability to return.That’s no longer the case for those outside the top 15, even firecrackers like Smith. Will this be good for them, or just make things less stable for those starting out their UFC careers?