UFC president Dana White insists wild crowd brawl during Mexico event was NOT a bad look – despite a fan being viciously knocked out – but does admit it’s ‘one of the craziest things I’ve seen’
- Security did not intervene as a chaotic fight broke out in the stands
- One fan, whose shirt was torn, was knocked out by a left hook from another
- DailyMail.com provides all the latest international sports news
UFC president Dana White downplayed the brutal crowd fight at the promotion’s Mexico event on Saturday, insisting it would not tarnish the sport’s reputation.
At UFC Fight Night in Mexico City on Saturday, the action left the octagon as a massive brawl broke out among the crowd, with several fans exchanging a series of punches and leaving their shirts torn.
With security failing to intervene, the incident escalated with one fan being knocked down by a viscous left hook from the other.
Despite the chaos, White insisted it didn’t reflect poorly on the UFC, but admitted it was one of the craziest things he’s seen.
“The fight in the crowd doesn’t look good for the UFC? That never happens. That literally never happens,” White told reporters.
A massive brawl broke out among the crowd at the UFC event in Mexico City on Saturday
The incident escalated when one fan was floored by a viscous left hook from the other
Dana White played down the brutal fight, insisting it did not damage the sport’s reputation
“It happened here in Mexico City. The crazy thing about that fight was that when that fight broke out, it felt like it went on forever. So I ran over and looked at it.
‘No one stopped it. I waited for security to come in. They just let them go until it was over.
‘That was one of the craziest things I’ve ever seen. I don’t think it’s a bad look for the UFC. It happened and that was the end of it.
“I think after everyone saw the end of that s***, no one else wanted to try that again. No security. The fight continued until it was over. I’ve never seen anything like it in my life.’
The event was the UFC’s sixth in Mexico City and their first in the last four and a half years.
The promotion’s return south of the border saw two former UFC champions from Mexico on top. Former flyweight champion Brandon Moreno headlined the event against Brandon Royval.
Additionally, former interim featherweight champion Yair Rodriguez teamed with Brian Ortega in the co-main event. The two previously faced each other in 2022 at UFC Long Island. Unfortunately, Ortega injured his shoulder minutes into the fight, giving Rodriguez an anticlimactic TKO victory.
Former flyweight champion Brandon Moreno (R) headlined the event against Brandon Royval
Earlier this week, the UFC opened its first Performance Institute in Mexico.
The UFC PI in Mexico City is a 4,636 square meter state-of-the-art facility. Facilities include a weight room, grip floor, nutrition lab and physical therapy.
“This has been a dream and goal of mine since 2001. To finally be here and walk the halls of the UFC Performance Institute in Mexico City is a monumental moment in the history of our sport,” wrote UFC chief Dana White.
“The impact this facility will have on Mexico, as well as Central and South America, will be HUGE.”