Following a majority-decision loss to Matt Hamill that accounted for his fourth consecutive defeat, Keith Jardine now will look for work in outside promotions.
Ultimate Fighting Championship officials have terminated his contract.
UFC officials told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) of the recent firing, which UFC president Dana White first confirmed with MMAFighting.com.
Jardine (15-8-1), a semifinalist on "The Ultimate Fighter 2," concludes his five-year stint with the UFC with a 6-7 record.
For a time, Jardine was one of the best prospects to come out the UFC/Spike TV reality series. He won four of his first five official UFC fights, and he scored victories over notables such as Forrest Griffin, Chuck Liddell and Brandon Vera.
However, beginning with a UFC 96 headliner against Quinton Jackson in early 2009, he dropped four straight fights. The "Fight of the Night" loss to Hamill, which came in the co-headliner of The Ultimate Fighter 11 Finale this past weekend, followed knockouts defeats to Thiago Silva and Ryan Bader.
Jardine, though, often volunteered for late bookings and substitutions, and his reported paydays often paled in comparison to competitors of similar stature. In fact, when he defeated former champ Liddell in the UFC 76 main event, he earned just $14,000 as his base pay.
Despite his recent setbacks, the Greg Jackson-trained fighter is unlikely to have trouble finding work. For example, rival promotion Strikeforce has minimal light-heavyweight talent, and the Japanese-based DREAM promotion soon will host a 205-pound grand prix in which he could be a solid entrant.
Additionally, White hasn't closed the door on Jardine returning to the organization at some point in the future, so he may compete in UFC-friendly organizations that host other UFC castoffs who are on the comeback trail.
