Dillon Danis faces lifestime ban from UFC

Controversial MMA star Dillon Danis has been handed a lifetime ban from the Ultimate Fighting Championship after a wild cageside brawl at UFC 332 in New York City. The 32-year-old, a former training partner of Conor McGregor, was embroiled in a shocking physical altercation with members of welterweight champion Islam Makhachev's camp on Saturday.

Dillon Danis banned from UFC after fight with Islam Makhachev’s team

The chaos erupted between championship bouts at Madison Square Garden. Footage shows Dillon exchanging blows with several men, including Abubakar Nurmagomedov and Magomed Zaynukov, before security rushed in to break up the melee and escort Dillon from the arena.

UFC CEO Dana White was livid, confirming the lifetime ban during the post-fight press conference. “You will never see Dillon Danis at a UFC fight ever again,” Dana stated, though he added he would not be pressing charges.

Dana acknowledged that he should have been more vigilant, adding that staff had made him aware of Dillon being mobile and not seated in his ticketed seat. The CEO realised he had missed a key point, failing to make the link between Dillon's presence and the historical feud with the Nurmagomedov camp, dating back to the infamous post-fight brawl between McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov in 2018.

“I blame myself for that actually,” Dana said, acknowledging he underestimated the tensions.

Outside of the UFC, Dillon, who recently returned to MMA with the Misfits promotion, is set to fight Anthony Taylor in December. This high-profile ban from the world's premier fighting organisation, though, is sure to cast a long shadow over his career.

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