“What a bunch of f*cking idiots.”
That was UFC CEO Dana White’s first reaction when he saw footage of the brawl between Usman Nurmagomedov, Merab Dvalishvili, and others in Abu Dhabi.
White was naturally dismayed when he discovered PFL lightweight champion Nurmagomedov jumped former UFC champion Dvalishvili and one of his friends at the athlete hotel ahead of this week’s Real American Freestyle event.
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Everyone involved, including the reporters who shared the footage with the world, were arrested on Wednesday after the incident and remain in custody. Nurmagomedov’s manager Ali Abdelaziz has issued a public apology on behalf of his client, but it’s a serious situation, and White scolded the poor choices made when asked at Thursday’s UFC 334 pre-fight press conference in New York.
“It’s absolutely ridiculous,” White said. “It’s stupid and they’re all in jail. That is not a place to go f*ck around.”
Nurmagomedov completed his PFL contract in July with a win over Archie Colgan and his looming free agency has been a major storyline of the past few months.
Although Nurmagomedov is seemingly still in an exclusive negotiation window with PFL, White was asked if his actions could deter the UFC from trying to sign UFC Hall of Famer Khabib Nurmagomedov’s cousin if and when he becomes fully available.
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“He’s still under contract,” White said. “We’re not talking to him right now anyways.”
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Dana White scolds Usman Nurmagomedov, other ‘f*cking idiots’ for brawl
