“It’s bad, he’s gone, he’s no longer a UFC
fighter.”Dana White explains why Ottman Azaitar has been cut from the UFC
following a health and safety breach at
#UFC257. pic.twitter.com/UO3aJbLUWO— UFC on BT Sport (@btsportufc)
January 22, 2021
Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream UFC 257 live on
your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the
ESPN app. The entire MMA community is waiting on pins and needles
wondering what was in the bag that cost ex-Ultimate
Fighting Championship lightweight Ottman
Azaitar his career.
Azaitar was not present for the
UFC 257 weigh-ins, and the promotion announced on Friday
morning that his main card match with Matt
Frevola had been canceled. As it turned out, the Moroccan was
not pulled due to COVID or a weight cut-related reason, but instead
for violating the promotion’s health and safety protocols.
In a
statement, the UFC wrote that, “UFC is aware of a recent
violation of the health and safety protocols involving Ottman
Azaitar. As such, Azaitar has been removed from the safety zone
and his upcoming bout against Matt
Frevola has been canceled. The organization continues to keep
the health and safety of all participants as the top priority and
will take action against anyone that does not adhere to the strict
measure put in place.”
More information came to light from a gobsmacked UFC President Dana
White, who told BT
Sport that, “It’s pretty amazing, actually.” After asking a UFC
official if they had been given the green light to “tell the story”
on what actually happened, White went into detail.
“So [Azaitar] and his team cut off their wristbands, gave them to
somebody outside the bubble – I don’t know how they even did it –
that guy taped them, showed up here with a bag, went into a room,
shimmied across four balconies, went into his room, dropped the bag
off, changed his clothes, and then left. Now, when security tried
to stop him, he wouldn’t stop. Either way, it’s just…yeah,
[Azaitar]’s gone. [Azaitar]’s no longer a UFC fighter, and he’s not
fighting tonight,” White said firmly.
Frevola lost his opponent, but in a stroke of luck, another
lightweight on the card found himself without a foe as well for the
card. Arman
Tsarukyan was set to face Nasrat
Haqparast, but Haqparast fell ill and was unable to attend
weigh-ins, so his bout was also canceled. Tsarukyan came in one
pound heavy and was fined 20 percent of his purse, although it
could not go to his opponent as Haqparast did not make weight
himself. With Frevola and Tsarukyan opponentless, the promotion
matched them up to headline the preliminary portion of the event at
a 157-pound catchweight. The middleweight bout between Andrew
Sanchez and Makhmud
Muradov has since been elevated on the main card.
Azaitar has not yet made a statement, and the contents of the
mysterious bag have not been disclosed.
UFC 257 will go down on Jan. 23 at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi,
United Arab Emirates. The now 11-fight offering will still be
capped off by a lightweight rematch pitting Conor
McGregor against Dustin
Poirier. The co-headliner sees another major lightweight match
as Dan
Hooker welcomes Michael
Chandler to the promotion. The featured fight of the night
draws a women’s flyweight tilt when Jessica Eye
takes on Joanne
Calderwood.
