There was an extra fight in Madison Square Garden for UFC 322. It wasn’t sanctioned or booked by the promotion; there were no odds on it. But Dillon Danis managed to get into an altercation with the supporters of the new welterweight champion, Islam Makhachev.
MMA Junkie’s Mike Bohn posted a video of the altercation, and it was something that UFC President Dana White felt could have been prevented.
In the post-event press conference, White was asked about the altercation and his reaction to it, and he said, “ I blame myself for that.”
White said he was informed of Danis being present and asked if he had purchased a ticket. He knew there was some possible animosity between Danis and Jorge Masvidal. However, they were several rows from each other. So when White was asked if Danis should be removed, he said, “ Well, if the guy has a ticket, let him sit in his seat and let him do what he’s doing, and keep an eye on him.”
White added,“ It never even crossed my mind, as stupid as this could be, that the entire Muslim Brotherhood was here tonight in the first five rows for Islam.”
Reality hit White when the brawl broke out.
“As soon as it broke out, I said, ‘[Expletive], I know what this is.”
White knows this well because Danis was the focus of Makhachev’s coach and former UFC Champion Khabib Nurmagomedov’s fury when a brawl broke out at UFC 229. When Nurmagomedov defeated Danis’ friend, Conor McGregor, he turned his attention to Danis, who was cageside, and went after him because Danis provoked him with insults towards his family and religion.
The history was there, but the UFC machine moves so fast. Seven years ago might be easy to forget when you run the world’s leading company for MMA.
Now, with all the muslim fighters on the UFC roster and Danis’ propensity for provoking them, White said, “You will never see Dillon Danis at a UFC fight ever again.”
That’s probably the right call.
Check out White’s full comments below:
