Despite being released by Zuffa from his UFC contract, it sounds as though the company is still bullish on his long-term potential.

“They’re pumped to have me back because they never wanted to lose me in the first place,” Speer is quoted as saying by the Post-Bulletin. “We haven’t talked about the money or length of contract yet, but I’ll definitely be in the WEC. They’re planning to get me on their next big event after their June event, probably in August.”

Speer was dropped from the UFC roster soon after being knocked out just 0:51 into round 1 against Anthony Johnson during UFC Fight Night 12 this past April. The loss dropped his lifetime record in the UFC to 0-2, which includes his loss to Mac Danzig during the finals of TUF 7 on December 8 of last year.

Speer didn’t like the decision at first, but has apparently come to grips with it.

“I didn’t agree with it right away; it was depressing news,” the paper quotes Speer as saying. “But now I know I lost to a great fighter, and he surprised me and everyone by how well he fought. I don’t think it’s too bad of a thing for me to be going to the WEC. There are great fighters there, too. I need to keep learning and working on my game, and the WEC is a great place to do that.

“I can’t complain about what’s happened, because have I put in as much time and effort as other people who have gotten to the UFC? No, I haven’t. But I’m going to keep working on it as much as I can.”

The WEC’s interest has been met with some initial skepticism, leading some to wonder whether Speer is truly a free agent or if the move was purely procedural. There are those that question why the UFC would release Speer if its sibling-company has an interest. It’s a valid question, but there is a degree of separation in how the two companies operate.

While UFC president Dana White has final say, WEC matchmaker Scott Adams has a great deal of input. There have been a few instances in the past where Adams and UFC V.P. of Talent Relations Joe Silva have had interest in the same fighter for their respective roster.

It should be noted though that Speer has already competed for the WEC under Zuffa ownership in May of last year. It’s possible that Speer already has an executable contract with the WEC and his return could already be a formality.

Thomas had appeared to be in contention for the UFC lightweight title following three consecutive wins in 2006-2007. However, “The Ultimate Fighter” alumnus from season four went on to lose his next two fights.

Thomas’ three fight win streak was broken at the hands of Kenny Florian at UFC Fight Night 11 last September when he submitted to a rear naked choke at 4:31 of round 1. During the fight, Thomas suffered a major knee injury.

He would return to the Octagon at UFC Fight Night 13 this past April, where he lost a unanimous decision to the returning Josh Neer.

According to the Observer, Thomas is deciding between whether to retire or continue competing at 145 pounds. Thomas had mentioned publicly he was considering the move to featherweight, but several outlets erroneously reported that he was being transferred to Zuffa-owned World Extreme Cagefighting.

The report in the Observer indicates that fighting in the WEC in the future is a possibility for Thomas, but that his contract was not transferred over and that he will likely need to win multiple fights outside of the promotion before being offered a contract.

Speer was the second place finisher during the welterweight tournament for the sixth season of “The Ultimate Fighter.” He lost in the final to Mac Danzig via first round submission. The Minnesota native fell to 0-2 in the UFC after he was knocked out in the first round against Anthony Johnson at UFC Fight Night 13.

Hironaka’s lifetime UFC record fell to 1-3 following a second round TKO loss to Jonathan Goulet at UFC 83. The bout was awarded a “Fight of the Night” cash bonus by UFC officials, but the feeling was that Hironaka had taken too much punishment in his last two bouts, according to the Observer’s report.

The three join Joe Doerksen and Travis Lutter as fighters recently released by the UFC as the promotion looks to trim its roster from 200 fights to anywhere between 140-160.

Kalib Starnes was also released in the days immediately proceeding UFC 83, however, he claims he requested his own release. Whether or not the option was truly in his hands is not entirely clear.

Middleweight Charles McCarthy is also no longer on the roster, as he announced his retirement following his loss to Michael Bisping at UFC 83.