For Team Islam Makhachev, this moment has been a long time coming.
Dillon Danis, affiliated with Team Conor McGregor since 2016, has continually poked fun at Makhachev’s crew on social media. This animosity reached a peak during Saturday’s UFC 322 at Madison Square Garden, where chaos erupted in the audience.
Javier Mendez, who coaches Makhachev and Khabib Nurmagomedov, shared on Submission Radio that the last straw was an AI-generated video depicting Makhachev kissing his agent, Ali Abdelaziz.
“They showed me a video that just highlights what kind of person he is,” Mendez remarked. “There was a clip of Ali and Islam in a close embrace alongside some questionable content.” He questioned the rationale behind Danis’s antics.
Mendez emphasized that Danis’s jibes and manipulated content weren’t merely jokes but they crossed a line, particularly regarding their Islamic beliefs.
Additionally, Danis shared an image of Makhachev and former adult film star Mia Khalifa, which some interpreted as another jab at Makhachev’s faith.
In the aftermath of the UFC 322 brawl, chaos ensued in the holding area of MSG, where Danis was attacked by over ten members of Makhachev’s team, including UFC newcomer Magomed “Chunko” Zainukov.
UFC President Dana White mentioned that they considered pressing charges against Danis, which he declined, but ultimately banned him for life from future events.
“Dillon Danis will never be at a UFC event again,” White stated, noting Danis’s excessive movement around the arena before the card began.
Mendez has been instrumental in coaching both Makhachev and Nurmagomedov for most of their careers. At UFC 322, Makhachev secured the welterweight title with a unanimous decision win over Jacques Della Maddalena.
After observing Danis moving frequently, White instructed security to keep him in his seat. However, with Makhachev’s team being so prominent, trouble seemed inevitable.
“I had no idea how reckless it was to have the entire Muslim Brotherhood right in front of Islam,” Mendez noted. “As soon as that occurred, I thought, ‘This won’t end well.'”
Previously, Danis had faced backlash for allegedly sharing explicit material about Logan Paul’s wife, Nina Agdal, and he is now embroiled in a lawsuit over AI-generated content regarding that incident.
