Getty Gilbert Burns & Khamzat Chimaev
No. 3-ranked UFC welterweight Khamzat Chimaev was held back by security when he was Octagonside after the UFC 280 main event on Saturday.
According to The Mac Life’s Oscar Willis, who sat in media row during the event at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, UAE, Chimaev “got in a physical altercation with Khabib (Nurmagomedov) and Islam (Makhachev’s) teammates cageside.”
It happened while Makhachev spoke with color commentator Daniel Cormier inside the cage after earning the vacant lightweight title by besting Charles Oliveira in the night’s headlining act.
MMA Junkie shared a video on Twitter of “Borz” during the incident, and it can be watched below via the embedded tweet:
Khamzat Chimaev just got into a cageside scuffle after the main event and had to be restrained by security. 😳
#UFC280 | Results: t.co/ASgbZtcX37
Another angle showed Chimaev and Abubakar Nurmagomedov, the other person involved in the scuffle per MMA Junkie, speaking face-to-face before chaos broke out between them. And it appears Chimaev pushed Nurmagomedov first. Watch the video below:
At the time of this writing, information is still coming in about the incident and this post will be updated accordingly.
White Called Mixed Martial Arts a ‘Rough Business’ After Being Questioned About the Altercation
During the UFC 280 post-fight press conference, UFC president Dana White was asked about the altercation. “What do I even say about that?” White said. “It happens, especially with him (laughs). It happens.”
MMA Junkie’s Mike Bohn then followed up, asking why Chimaev was so close to the Octagon. “He was sitting on our side,” White responded. “I didn’t even know Khamzat was coming tonight. He was invited here by Abu Dhabi. So, the seats behind me are owned by Abu Dhabi here in Abu Dhabi.”
A little later, another media member asked if Chimaev would face a fine or any sort of consequence for the scuffle.
“That’s what we do here,” White said. “This is a rough business. Mean things are said, sometimes guys get into it. It’s our job here at the UFC to make sure that stuff doesn’t happen. Again, we weren’t right on it and didn’t stop it from happening, but we got in there.
“These things happen when… we have 800 alpha male and females under contract, and sometimes they cross paths at events and these things happen. It doesn’t bother me or hurt my feelings, or any of that stuff. We handle it and then move on.”
White Recently Said He Wanted to Book Chimaev vs. Colby Covington in March During the Promotion’s Return to London
Although nothing is official, it is presumed that the UFC will return to London, England in March for a UFC pay-per-view event. Headlining the event would likely be welterweight champion Leon Edwards, who has been linked to the man he took the belt from, Kamaru Usman, for a trilogy match.
And in a recent interview with The Mac Life’s Oscar Willis, White was pitched the idea of Chimaev fighting in the night’s co-main event against No. 2-ranked welterweight contender Colby Covington.
“I agree with you,” White replied to Willis. “I’m on it. I’ll get it done.”
Chimaev last fought at a 180-pound catchweight after missing the 171-pound welterweight limit for his clash with Nate Diaz at UFC 279 last month. Chimaev instead fought Kevin Holland and won the match via first-round D’Arce choke.
Covington’s most recent assignment was in March when he bested Jorge Masvidal via unanimous decision at UFC 272.