Feb 12, 2023; Perth, WA, AUSTRALIA; Islam Makhachev (red gloves) celebrates after defeating Alexander Volkanovski (not pictured) for the lightweight championship during UFC 284 at RAC Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jasmin Frank-USA TODAY Sports

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Massive Brawl Between Dillion Danis And Team Makhachev- What happened At UFC 322 Crowd Brawl?

Madison Square Garden has hosted some legendary UFC moments over the years. Conor McGregor’s title wins, epic knockouts, and historic championship fights. The venue brings out something special in fighters and fans alike. But Saturday night at UFC 322 brought a different kind of chaos entirely.

Violence is expected inside the octagon during UFC events obviously. That’s literally the whole point of MMA competition. But brawls in the crowd? Those create an entirely different level of mayhem and danger. Security struggles to contain situations when they spill into public areas. Multiple people get involved quickly once punches start flying. The massive brawl between Dillion Danis and Team Makhachev became one of the wildest scenes in recent UFC history.

How It All Went Down Between Dillon Danis And Team Makhachev

The pay-per-view broadcast was just starting when everything exploded. Jon Anik, Joe Rogan, and Daniel Cormier began their opening commentary for viewers. The iconic Baba O’Reilly song played throughout Madison Square Garden. Then suddenly fists started flying in the crowd area.

Dillon Danis found himself in the middle of a massive melee. Members of Khabib Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev’s team surrounded him quickly. Abubakar Nurmagomedov, a former UFC fighter himself, was clearly involved in the brawl. Magomed Zaynukov and several others from the Dagestani camp joined in too.

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Dozens of bodies got caught up in the chaos immediately. Security personnel rushed in trying to separate everyone involved. Danis was beaten down as he seemed wobbly when he was helped up. Police officers arrived moments later to help control the situation. People tumbled into press row as the brawl spread outward. UFC chief business officer Hunter Campbell showed up trying to calm things down personally.

Videos from inside the arena captured the insane scene. Multiple camera angles showed just how big this fight really was. It looked more like a street brawl than anything belonging near a professional sporting event. Security literally had to drag Abubakar Nurmagomedov away from the scrum.

The Bad Blood History

This wasn’t Danis’s first rodeo with the Nurmagomedov camp. He has a serious history with this crew going back years. He served as Conor McGregor’s primary training partner and grappling coach in 2018. That’s when McGregor fought Nurmagomedov in their legendary rivalry bout.

Nurmagomedov submitted McGregor in the fourth round that night. Then things got absolutely bonkers afterward. ‘The Eagle’ jumped over the cage and went straight after Danis in the crowd. A massive brawl broke out between both teams inside the octagon too. The Nevada Athletic Commission handed out suspensions and fines to multiple people.

5 years ago today, Khabib jumped out of the cage at Dillon Danis 🫣 pic.twitter.com/AkxOuuNZ4o
— Happy Punch (@HappyPunch) October 6, 2023

That 2018 incident followed months of nasty trash talk between camps. McGregor crossed numerous lines during the promotional tour leading up. He attacked a bus carrying Khabib and other fighters in Brooklyn. The disrespect reached levels rarely seen in professional combat sports.

Clearly the bad blood never actually settled between these groups. Danis remained loyal to McGregor (22-6) throughout everything that followed. The Nurmagomedov camp never forgave the disrespect shown to Khabib. Now seven years later, they’re still throwing hands at UFC events.

(Image Credit: Jasmin Frank – Imagn Images)

Dillon Danis

Islam Makhachev

Khabib Nurmagomedov

UFC 322 brawl

Zaid Quraishi

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I am a dedicated MMA and Boxing content writer at The Playoffs. I was instantly hooked on MMA after watching the fight between Lyoto Machida vs. Gegard Mousasi back in 2014, and since then, i have been an avid writer with a deep love for the sport and its techniques, providing readers with a thorough understanding of the sport. My favorite aspect of working at The Playoffs is the creative freedom it provides. The diverse range of topics, from listicles and SEO to news articles, keeps me engaged and motivates me to continuously improve my skills! I aim to capture the excitement of the combat sports world in my writing, acting as the middleman between fighters and their die-hard fans. It is kind of like a referee, but with words!