Dana White stunned MMA fans when he brutally cut a fighter shortly after winning at UFC 304.
UFC came to Manchester on Saturday night, but it wasn't the spectacle Dana White had hoped it would be.
The UFC president was left in a foul mood after seven of the fights went to decision and the main card between Belal Muhammad and Leon Edwards failed to really take off.
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Earlier in the evening, Tom Aspinall defended his interim UFC heavyweight title with a first-round knockout against Curtis Blaydes while Paddy Pimblett scored a first-round submission victory over King Green.
White was clearly feeling tetchy during his post-event press conference, and undefeated fighter Mohammed Mokaev felt his wrath.
Mohammed Mokaev cruised to a unanimous decision victory against Manel Kape in their flyweight bout, improving his record to 13-0.
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The two fighters had engaged weeks of adversarial build-up, including scuffles at their hotel and during the weigh-in. The actual fight failed to live up to the hype, leaving White less than impressed.
Ahead of the fight, Mokaev told reporters that Saturday’s fight was the last one on his current contract, and that he didn’t know if he’d be re-signed.
When asked whether or not the Dagestani fighter would remain with UFC, White was crystal clear.
"I think the PFL [Professional Fighters League] is gonna get a great undefeated guy," he replied.
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White went on to explain that the UFC matchmakers aren't big fans of Mokaev "for many different reasons."
The abrupt announcement came as a shock, given that Mokaev is sixth in the flyweight rankings and won his UFC 304 bout with ease.
However, Mokaev leaving UFC was likely always on the cards.
White has never been a fan of the 23-year-old's fighting style, nor the reported difficulty of doing business with him.
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Instead of re-signing Mokaev, White is happy to let him join the number two MMA promotion in the world.
Topics: UFC, MMA, Dana White
Alex Brotherton