Chidi Njokuani, Noad Lahat Among Nine Fighters Released from Bellator MMA

Bellator MMA has trimmed its roster significantly, releasing nine fighters during a series of recent cuts.

The fighters no longer with the California-based promotion are as follows: Chidi Njokuani, Noad Lahat, Hisaki Kato, Jarod Trice, Chris Honeycutt, J.J. Ambrose, Mohammed Yahya, Carrington Banks and Nathan Greyson. Sherdog.com confirmed the cuts with a source close to the situation following an initial report from Jason Floyd.

The 30-year-old Njokuani began his promotional tenure with victories in his first four appearances but has since lost three of his last four outings. That stretch includes a first-round submission defeat against John Salter in the Bellator 210 main event and a decision loss to Rafael Carvalho in the Bellator 224 co-headliner.

A four-time UFC veteran, Lahat went 4-2 during his time in Bellator . The 35-year-old Xtreme Couture representative is coming off a three round verdict over Brian Moore at Bellator 210 this past November.

Other notable releases include Chris Honeycutt, a Josh Koschek protege who went 7-3 with one no contest during his Bellator career and Jarod Trice, a three-time NCAA All-American wrestler who had compiled a 4-0 mark in his burgeoning professional tenure.