Moments before the UFC 279 pre-fight presser on Thursday, a backstage fracas ensued between Kevin Holland, Khamzat Chimaev, and members of team Nate Diaz. The event was called off, as a result, a rare moment for such a large-scale event.
The UFC and ESPN later released some footage of the said incident, prompting fan theories that the entire thing could’ve been staged. UFC president Dana White is aware of these “conspiracies,” which he addressed during the post-fight presser.
“If you’re dancing around the question that there was some conspiracy theory that… there’s some f—ng lunatics on the internet that think that this was all staged and planned and whatever,” White told reporters.