Norman Parke insists he’s not playing an April Fools’ Day prank as he claims to have been cut by UFC

This sounds genuine.

Fight fans were suspicious that Norman Parke was playing an April Fools' Day prank when he announced his release from the UFC on Friday night but it appears to be legitimate. Parke had gone 1-3 over the past year but nobody really expected his job to be in danger as prior to his first UFC defeat, in January 2015, he went undefeated for five years. Including his victory in The Ultimate Fighter: The Smashes lightweight final, Parke won four and drew one of his first five promotional bouts and was being touted as a serious prospect at 155 lbs. But defeats to Gleison Tibau, Francisco Trinaldo and, most recently, Rustam Khabilov had stalled all of his hard-earned momentum. The 29-year-old took to Facebook to post the following message.

"I just wanna say a huge thanks to the ufc for giving me the great opportunity to compete at the highest level in combat sports.. Iv had many great memories that will stay with me forever!! Im now looking to fight this summer so what ever comes up il be ready to go!! On any show anywhere.. "Thank you to all my fans for following my journey. "I will be back ???