UFC president Dana White has announced that the competition will see 60 fighters cut from its roster before the start of 2021. 

White, who has been president of the UFC since 2001, made the announcement after the shock departure of middleweight fighter Yoel Romero, who still had three fights left on his contract.

"Our roster is very inflated right now. We're gonna have some big cuts coming before the end of the year," said White. "You're gonna see a lot of names going here in the next couple of weeks.

"We're just literally starting to go through the list. These are the tough decisions you've gotta make."

As with sports around the world, the coronavirus pandemic has severely limited the expected revenue of UFC, largely due to the absence of crowds from fights. 

However, UFC was one of the first competitions to restart in May and has run every weekend since July. 

It's usual for UFC to cut fighters at this time of the year, but 60 is far above the regular amount - but in these times it's unsurprising to see, particularly given the 965 athletes currently listed on UFC's website. 

p1eouis2a91hk4g25rt01v32orlf.jpg

Additionally, Dana White's Contender Series offers cheaper fighters for the organisation because the new fighters generate significant revenue while requiring lighter fight purses. 

None of the fighters in the series have UFC contracts, much like in The Ultimate Fighter, and the programme allows White to scout for talent for the main event. 

The most notable fighters to emerge from the Contender series are Sean O'Malley, who is 3-1 at UFC events and a two-time winner of Performance of the Night, and Alex Perez, who is 6-1 at UFC events. 

The Ultimate Fighter, meanwhile, has provided a steady stream of hard-hitting fighters, including former light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans and middleweight champion Michael Bisping.