Nallo reveals sons aged 5 and 7 inspired his nose-pick before Dana White's handshake at UFC Edmonton

Mandel Nallo’s conspicuous nose-pick at the UFC Edmonton weigh-ins on October 17 was a secret signal to his two young sons — and it accidentally created one of the more awkward handshake moments in recent UFC history.

The Canadian lightweight, who stopped Nate Landwehr at the Edmonton event, told Ariel Helwani that his boys, aged five and seven, came up with the idea themselves. Nallo asked them what he could do onstage to let them know he was aware they were watching. Their answer was unambiguous.

“I have two boys; they’re 5 and 7… I wanted to notify them that I knew they were watching,” Nallo said. “So I told them, ‘What’s something I can do so that you guys can see that I know you’re watching?’ They told me, ‘Pick your nose.’ I’m a committed nose picker. I’m not gonna half-ass it. I’m not gonna pretend. So I went up there and that was for them.”

The problem came seconds later, when UFC CEO Dana White extended his hand for a customary pre-faceoff greeting. Nallo, right-handed, had just used his right hand for the gesture and had no time to explain the situation.

“I’m gonna go up there with my right hand, and then [Dana White] extends his arm out to you,” Nallo said. “You don’t have time to explain what just happened. So I did a finger point so that there was no contact. There was no disrespect. It was kind of like a ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’ moment. I got this booger in my hand, but if I go, ‘I don’t wanna shake your hand,’ then I look even worse. I just had to roll with it.”

Nallo also revealed that his sons, despite training jiu-jitsu, remain unaware of how violent MMA actually is and do not fully understand what their father does professionally.

The 37-year-old holds a professional record of 15-4 with one no-contest and has never had a fight go to the judges. He earned his UFC contract through Dana White’s Contender Series last year, though his promotional debut ended in a technical knockout loss to Jai Herbert earlier in 2026. The finish of Landwehr marked a significant bounce-back performance for the Edmonton crowd favourite.