A cageside fight involving Dillon Danis and Islam Makhachev’s team halted UFC 322, reviving a bitter rivalry and raising new concerns about security at major events.

A chaotic brawl broke out at UFC 322 inside Madison Square Garden on Saturday night, when Dillon Danis became involved in a physical confrontation with members of Islam Makhachev’s Dagestani team.

Abubakar Nurmagomedov and Magomed “John Pork” Zaynukov were among the figures who engaged with Danis as the dispute escalated.

The altercation erupted shortly before the main broadcast was scheduled to begin, prompting security personnel to rush into the section to separate the groups and prevent the chaos from spreading into nearby seating areas.

Bystanders fled as shoes and debris were thrown through the air during the melee, and the situation intensified rapidly enough that security ultimately removed Danis from the arena.

The confrontation unfolded in a matter of seconds and involved multiple individuals from the Dagestani contingent before it was brought under control.

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Rivalry Behind the Conflict

The confrontation at UFC 322 reignited the long-standing feud between Conor McGregor’s camp and the Nurmagomedov camp.

This rivalry began in 2018, when McGregor attacked a fighter bus carrying Khabib Nurmagomedov during UFC 223 fight week, setting off one of the most infamous incidents in UFC history.

The tension intensified later that year at UFC 229, where Khabib defeated McGregor and then leapt out of the cage to attack Dillon Danis, triggering a chaotic post-fight melee.

Danis, a longtime grappling partner and close associate of McGregor, has remained deeply tied to this feud ever since.

His proximity to Makhachev’s supporters at UFC 322, combined with the unresolved hostility between the camps, helped turn a verbal dispute into a rapid escalation of physical violence.

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UFC Response and Security Concerns

In the aftermath of the incident, UFC CEO Dana White announced that Dillon Danis is permanently banned from attending all future UFC events.

White stated that Danis should not have been seated anywhere near Makhachev’s entourage and accepted responsibility for the security lapse that allowed the confrontation to unfold.

The widespread circulation of fan-recorded footage of the brawl has fueled broader public debate about how the UFC and major venues like Madison Square Garden manage security when rival camps with a history of hostility are present.

Given the violent past between the McGregor and Nurmagomedov camps, there is growing pressure on the organization to adopt stricter seating policies and implement stronger security measures to prevent similar incidents at future events.