UFC 322: Here’s What Started the Crowd Brawl and Got One Fighter Banned

UFC 322 at Madison Square Garden delivered a night of electrifying action, headlined by Islam Makhachev’s successful challenge of the welterweight title against champion Jack Della Maddalena to become a UFC double champion. The card was filled with memorable moments, but a different kind of fight captured the crowd’s attention before the main card even began.

Shortly after the UFC 322 prelims concluded, a brawl erupted in the audience, drawing reactions from the stunned commentary team of Jon Anik, Joe Rogan, and Daniel Cormier as it unfolded live on broadcast. It was later revealed that the brawl took place between Islam Makhachev’s team and the trash-talking former Conor McGregor teammate, Dillon Danis.

Advertisement

According to reports, the cause of the brawl was as unbelievable as the scene itself. One of Islam Makhachev’s coaches, Javier Mendez, revealed the alleged trigger during an episode of the Submission Radio Podcast.

“What do you expect when you do that? You go and sit where the guys are sitting, and you’re riling him up with huge disrespect,” Mendez claimed. “Stop talking on people’s religion, man. That’s what he was doing.”

Mendez also alleged that Dillon Danis was repeatedly playing an AI-generated video on his phone that depicted Islam Makhachev and his manager, Ali Abdelaziz, kissing.

Advertisement

Danis was reportedly showing this video in the section of the crowd occupied by Makhachev’s teammates and Dagestani supporters. This provocative act immediately ignited tensions and led to an all-out brawl where Danis was attacked.

Videos showed Danis in a violent scuffle primarily with two of Makhachev’s teammates (via Mike Bohn of MMAJunkie):

Chanco Explains His Perspective

Two known attackers were revealed to be UFC fighter Abubakar Nurmagomedov and the undefeated, recently signed UFC fighter Magomed “Wild Chanco” Zaynukov, who is widely known by his meme-inspired nickname “John Pork.” The melee caused crowd barricades to collapse, sent beers flying, and terrified fans scattering, with the action even spilling onto media row.

Advertisement

“Wild Chanco” himself has since given his account of the incident on the Russian MMA YouTube channel, Ushatayka.

He confirmed that his injured knuckles were likely from hitting Danis’s tooth and stated, “I think it was not enough. He should have gotten more.”

“For us, any single word has its meaning and you have to be accountable for it,” Zaynukov explained. “You can insult someone’s family, and it means nothing to them.”

After the incident, UFC fighter Jorge Masvidal took a picture with Zaynukov, who had bloody knuckles. Infamous for out-of-cage violent acts himself, “Gamebred” explained the situation from his point of view (via DeathRowMMA):

Advertisement

Dillon Danis’s Past Provocative Behavior

This is far from the first time Danis has been in a brawl with Dagestani UFC fighters. The brash MMA fighter was the target of Khabib Nurmagomedov’s now-infamous post-fight brawl at UFC 229, when the now-retired UFC legend hopped out of the Octagon to continue the violence after submitting Danis’ then-teammate Conor McGregor.

Here is a clip of the notorious incident:

UFC CEO Dana White later addressed the incident during the post-fight press conference, promising that Dillon Danis would be banned from all UFC events. The organization, however, chose not to press any criminal charges.

Advertisement

The UFC 322 brawl between Dillon Danis and Team Makhachev will be remembered as one of the most surreal incidents this year. While the octagon witnessed a new two-division champion being crowned, the cageside brawl reminded fans that the sport’s most intense rivalries can explode when and where they are least expected.

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Nov 18, 2025, where it first appeared in the MMA section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.