Dana White confirms UFC acted on Namo Fazil attack claim but refuses to reveal details
UFC president Dana White has acknowledged that action was taken after Contender Series fighter Namo Fazil alleged he was attacked by a group of Chechens before his fight against Kaik Brito, but declined to share specifics, saying the promotion 'handled it behind the scenes'.
UFC president Dana White confirmed at the UFC Sacramento post-fight press conference that the promotion took action following Namo Fazil’s allegation that he was attacked by a group of Chechens before his Dana White Contender Series bout against Kaik Brito, but stopped short of providing any details about what occurred or what consequences followed.
Fazil had claimed earlier in the week that a group of approximately 15 men confronted him at the Meta Apex during his weight cut, that he was slapped, and that the altercation drew a police response. The incident preceded a fight Fazil would go on to lose by knockout.
“You guys have no idea how much shit goes on in this business behind the scenes,” White said when pressed on the matter. “We handled it behind the scenes and that’s the business we’re in. Lots of crazy shit happens every day in this business.”
White also addressed whether UFC fighter Baisangur Sursurkaev would face consequences after Sursurkaev appeared to mock Fazil following the incident and seemed to imply involvement. White’s response was pointed but opaque: “I didn’t even talk about it. You guys wouldn’t even know if he didn’t talk about it.”
Khamzat Chimaev, a native of Chechnya and former UFC champion, had already weighed in on social media before White’s comments, writing that “if something happens between two men, they need to sort things out between themselves without letting media make fitna between nations,” adding that he was “not happy with the things that happened” while warning that “when someone speaks bad then he should know there always will be consequences.”
White’s refusal to elaborate leaves the full circumstances of the alleged attack unresolved in public, even as he insisted the promotion had responded internally. Whether any formal disciplinary measures were taken against those involved remains unclear.
Read also
-
MMA ·Askhabov disqualified and suspended after attacking Ekson during timeout at Dominance FC 8
-
MMA ·Tsarukyan accuses Gaethje of ducking him and targets Volkanovski at lightweight
-
MMA ·Reyes launches YouTube series to dissect Cormier's 'F-plus' UFC 333 commentary blow by blow
-
MMA ·Pereira vows to drop back to light heavyweight if Pavlovich defeats him at UFC 335
-
MMA ·King Green totals custom Range Rover in live-streamed crash days after UFC 314 KO loss
-
MMA ·Unbeaten BJJ champion Ruotolo faces former ONE titleholder Yoon in Bangkok return