UFC releases Cody McKenzie, fighter who wore shorts with tag still on them during bout
When last we saw Cody McKenzie, he was wearing gym shorts in the Octagon with the tag still on them. Then he was caught chugging beers after his fight before throwing up in the arena.
Now, and not very surprisingly, McKenzie is out of the UFC.
The Ultimate Fighter alum was released by the organization this week, he announced on Twitter. The zany McKenzie openly asked for other promoters to contact him and even tweeted at World Series of Fighting president Ray Sefo to all but ask for a job.
McKenzie (14-4) lost to Sam Stout by unanimous decision in December at FOX UFC Saturday. He's 2-2 in his last four fights and doesn't have an awful record. But there seems to be some other things at play. McKenzie came into the Octagon and fought with shorts that he seemingly just bought at Modell's. Referee Herb Dean had to rip the tag off mid-bout.
Then after his fight, he took some shots and guzzled beers, spitting one up on himself in the tunnel below the arena, according to Adam Hill of the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
UFC president Dana White called McKenzie's shorts disaster "amateur hour," but didn’t necessarily blame the eccentric featherweight.
"Maybe he was going to fight in his jeans and said 'Well, maybe I should get some shorts,'" White said at the post-fight press conference. "I don't know. Cody McKenzie is a strange dude. But it's not Cody McKenzie's fault that happened tonight, it's the UFC's fault. We're here for a show on Fox, and it's pretty damn embarrassing. Pretty embarrassing. I could not be more embarrassed by this. I don't even know what to say. We're stupid. I was pissed."
California State Athletic Commission director Andy Foster told Kevin Iole of Yahoo! that McKenzie forgot his shorts at the hotel and had to run across the street quickly to pick up a pair. They were white Nike shorts that he scribbled "907" on. That's the area code of the town he's from in Alaska.
Pretty bizarre. McKenzie, known for a devastating guillotine submission, will likely find work somewhere else. He's still only 26.
Hopefully the next time we see him he'll have his stuff together. And his real fight shorts on.
Yo, Cody McKenzie! You lost your shorts! RT @TheDolceDiet: Ummm...somebody forgot their shorts!!! @ufc @ufconfox pic.twitter.com/9BFHaavuMd
— UFC (@ufc) December 15, 2013
