Poll results: Which fighter's recent UFC release most surprised you?

It has almost become a Monday morning ritual.

After every UFC event, fans clamor to the Internet to see which fighters' weekend loss resulted in a pink slip.

And while it's sometimes rather simple to predict what moves the UFC brass will make, occasionally the roster cuts come as a surprise. In our latest MMAjunkie.com/"Inside MMA" poll, we asked readers which fighter's release they felt was most surprising.

The results were revealed on Friday's new episode of HDNet's weekly MMA news show.

Thousands of votes were cast, and four-time UFC veteran Gerald Harris (17-3 MMA, 3-1 UFC), who was released by the promotion this past November, earned the greatest response with 32 percent of the vote – the same figure as the second and third place results combined.

Harris, of course, was released following UFC 123 after suffering his first loss in four UFC fights. Two of his octagon wins also netted "Hurricane" the evening's "Knockout of the Night" award. Nevertheless, a sub-par performance in a loss to UFC newcomer Maiquel Falcao resulted in Harris' release.

The second-most surprising release according to MMAjunkie.com readers? Two-time UFC veteran Todd Duffee (6-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC).

Duffee made a splash in his UFC debut by recording the fastest official knockout in UFC history with a seven-second shellacking of Canadian behemoth Tim Hague. But after suffering a shocking UFC 114 loss to Mike Russow, Duffee was sent packing.

Which recent UFC release
most surprised you?

32% - Gerald Harris
18% - Todd Duffee
14% - Marcus Davis
10% - Brandon Vera
9% - Efrain Escudero
7% - Gabriel Gonzaga
7% - Jamie Varner
3% - Chris Horodecki

Adding to the confusion was the timing of the release, which came four months after the loss. Just 24 years old at the time of his release, Duffee appeared to have tremendous upside, but the UFC elected to pass.

Despite the cutthroat nature of the UFC's roster management, featherweight Mark Hominick, who was a guest on this week's edition of "Inside MMA," said the moves are understandable.

"You're at the top of the game," Hominick said. "You've got to expect it. It's a strong food chain that's there, and you've got to be at the top of it. You've got to go out there and prove it, and that's the reality of the sport.

"Fighters have to go in there and lay it on the line every time. I think this is going to help that."

Meanwhile, MMA legend and "Inside MMA" co-host also said the moves help keep the talent level in the UFC at its greatest potential and that releases don't necessarily mean the end of the line for fighters.

"The good part is it doesn't close the door on you," Rutten said. "Go somewhere else, build back up your record, and then you can always come back."

Other fighters receiving a significant response include Marcus Davis with 14 percent, Brandon Vera with 10 percent and Efrain Escudero with 9 percent.

Gabriel Gonzaga and former WEC lightweight champion Jamie Varner each took 7 percent of the vote, while Canadian Chris Horodecki netted 3 percent of the response.

So what do you think? Did the voters get it right?