Dana White lets go of Paddy Pimblett’s teammate in the newest UFC lineup update
Dana White has decided to cut one of Paddy “The Baddy” Pimblett’s gym buddies from the UFC roster after only two fights with the promotion. While Pimblett is working to bounce back from a close loss to Justin Gaethje, he’s still one of the brightest stars in British MMA, winning seven of his eight fights since joining the UFC in March 2021.
Pimblett fights out of Next Generation MMA, a gym that’s also home to Molly McCann, who has fought in the Octagon before. Luke Riley and Nathan Fletcher, also from the same gym, have competed in the UFC too, with Riley winning his first two fights since moving over from Cage Warriors.
Unfortunately, their gym mate Shem Rock — whose real name is Shaqueme Rock — didn’t have the same luck. After just two UFC fights, his run has come to an end. The 32-year-old lost a unanimous decision against Nurullo Aliev in his UFC debut in November 2025, and then lost again to Abdul-Kareem Al-Selwady last month.
Rock has now been released from the UFC roster, along with veteran fighter Pedro Munhoz. After his March fight, Rock didn’t shake hands with his opponent following a tense build-up that included a fight at the weigh-in. On fight night, he even threw punches after the bell, which forced officials to step in and separate them.
It’s not clear if his actions after the fight played a part in the decision to cut him, but Rock seemed to take the news in good spirits. He joked on X (formerly Twitter), saying, “Looks like I’ve got to change my username,” referring to his handle @Shemrockufc.
Fans shared their thoughts online. One wrote, “Even bigger fights coming 🙌🙌. I’d love to see you vs Amru Magomedov in the PFL, or Shaydullaev in Rizin if you can drop to featherweight again. We’ll get back to the Jubli superfight. Love you, Shem.” Another said, “The UK waking up to Shem Rock being cut from UFC — sad day, people, sad day.”
A third fan added, “I’m actually disappointed. Yeah, he talked trash and did some silly stuff, but there are worse out there. I’m just sad about Shem Rock.”
The UFC is back soon, with Aljamain Sterling set to fight Youssef Zalal in a featherweight match at the Apex on Saturday.