During last Saturday’s UFC event in Mexico City, the excitement extended beyond the confines of the Octagon.
In the realm of mixed martial arts, fight cards often deliver unexpected drama, and this was evident last year with the December altercation between middleweight rivals Sean Strickland and Dricus du Plessis, which preceded their world title bout last month.
However, in Mexico City, late into Saturday night, a scuffle erupted among spectators, causing quite a disruption. UFC lightweight fighter Manuel Torres momentarily halted his post-fight celebrations following his first-round submission victory over Chris Duncan to urge calm among the audience.
Me tocó en primer fila el KO de la noche en UFC México @fanaticosMMAGT @CCLegaspi pic.twitter.com/OKee7R6SSS
— JS (@JS_mma_) February 25, 2024
Speaking to the media, including The Mac Life, UFC President Dana White expressed surprise at how long the brawl persisted despite security presence.
“I mean, that never happens,” White remarked. “Literally never happens. It happened here in Mexico City. The crazy thing about that fight, when that fight broke out, it felt like it kept going forever. So I ran over there and I was watching it, nobody stopped it. I was waiting for security to come in, and they just let them go until it was over.”
He added, “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 that.”
The incident, captured on social media, showed one spectator knocked unconscious by a left hook from another audience member. White speculated that this may have quelled further disturbance.
“I think after everybody else saw that sh*t nobody else wanted to try that again,” he said. “No security! The fight just went on until it was over. I’ve never seen any sh*t like that in my life. Crazy.”
