UFC CEO Dana White faced multiple incidents involving Merab Dvalishvili during UFC 310 fight week and is unsure how to handle his temperament going forward.
The bantamweight champion kept security on their toes on more than one occasion in Las Vegas. Friday, prior to the UFC 311 on-sale press conference, Dvalishvili was separated from his upcoming title challenger, Umar Nurmagomedov, during a heated argument backstage at MGM Grand Garden Arena.
As a preventative measure, Dvalishvili was seated further away than usual on stage for the news conference, which also featured UFC 311 headliners Islam Makhachev and Arman Tsarukyan. During the event, Dvalishvili engaged in shouting matches with Nurmagomedov, which could simply be chalked up to fight promotion.
However, after his teammate Aljamain Sterling lost to Movsar Evloev on the UFC 310 prelims, Dvalishvili, who was an official cornerman for Sterling, was restrained by security again, this time due to an altercation with a fan. Another teammate, cornerman, and fellow UFC fighter, Dennis Buzukja, was also involved and captured on video punching the fan during the ugly incident before he was pulled away.
White was not asked about Buzukja’s involvement, but responded to a question about Dvalishvili’s general temperament as of late. The UFC boss said he’s unsure how to address it, while offering a vauge hint at accountability.
“He’s my mini (Sean) Strickland without the mouth,” White told reporters during a UFC 310 post-event news conference. “What do you do? Let him buy the pay-per-view, I guess. I don’t know. You can’t keep fighting with f*cking fans. It’s going to cost you a lot, you can do it. It’s going to cost you a lot of money, right? I don’t know.
“Listen, man. I say it all the time: We’re in the f*cking fight business. This happens. We’ve got to deal with it.”
It’s unclear what White meant by saying the incident will cost Dvalishvili monetarily. The promotion has not announced a fine, nor is there an indication the fan has pressed charges. MMA Junkie reached out to UFC officials for further clarity, but has not received a response at the time of writing.
“We do our best,” White said about addressing unexpected incidents involving fighters. “I didn’t even know Nate Diaz was coming yesterday, threw a water bottle at Islam (Makhachev), I don’t know why. But listen, if you guys knew this much of what goes on behind the scenes, you would wonder why we do this for a living.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 310.
