Bellator MMA fighter Dillon
Danis was slapped by manager Ali Abdelaziz during an incident
backstage at UFC 268, according to multiple reports.
MMAjunkie.com first brought word of the altercation, which was
confirmed by multiple eyewitnesses in reports. Danis was reportedly
escorted from the venue after security intervened between the two
men. It is unclear what caused the incident, though Danis and
Abdelaziz haven’t had the most pleasant of converstations in the
past on social media.
In a since deleted tweet captured by
MMAFighting.com, retired former UFC champion Michael
Bisping wrote that not only was Danis removed from the
building, but he has been banned from all future events held by the
Las Vegas-based promotion.
“So pathetic,” Bisping wrote. “FYI people, [Danis] was legit
slapped in the face like a b–h backstage and then ejected and
banned from all UFC events.”
It’s not the first time that Danis has been involved in an
altercation outside of the cage in 2021. In September, the
Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner was
arrested and charge with disorderly conduct for creating a
disturbance outside the a bar in Seaside Heights, N.J. Danis is
seen being lifted off the ground and handcuffed by officers before
being taken away. Danis
later claimed that bar security became confrontational when he
was unable to produce a driver’s license, which led to a physical
altercation that included bar staff and a security guard who
claimed to be a police officer.
A Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt who has served as Conor
McGregor’s grappling coach at SBG Ireland, Danis is 2-0 in is
MMA career but has not competed in the Bellator cage since June
2019. He was slated to return to action at Bellator 238 in January
2020 but had to withdraw from the event due to injury.