Dennis Buzukja Temporarily Suspended for Altercation with Fan at UFC 310

Merab got into ANOTHER altercation with a fan after Aljamain Sterling lost to Mosvar Evloev. 👀 #UFC310 pic.twitter.com/MBeKMmvQkZ

— InsideFighting (@InsideFighting_) December 8, 2024

Dennis Buzukja could face sanctions for scuffling with someone in the crowd at UFC 310.

During a meeting on Tuesday, the Nevada State Athletic Commission temporarily suspended the four-time UFC veteran for throwing punches at a man on his way back to the locker room after cornering Aljamain Sterling on Dec. 7 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili was also seen being restrained during the altercation.

Dvalishvili later posted evidence that the fan had ties to Umar Nurmagomedov and his team, and he claimed that the incident was orchestrated by his UFC 311 opponent. The fan involved was later identified as Arman Tugaev. Dvalishvili would go on to retain his bantamweight title with a unanimous decision victory over Nurmagomedov on Jan. 18.

Regardless of whether or not Dvalishvili’s allegations are true, Buzukja could face a fine and further suspension at a future NSAC meeting. According to Buzukja, the Dvalishvili and Tugaev had an exchange on the way to the Octagon, but things escalated when they were walking back to the locker room following Sterling’s loss to Movsar Evloev.

“Then as the fight finished and we’re walking back on the other side, this f—king guy comes across the whole crowd and then goes and, you’ve seen the video, he grabs Merab’s arm and then says something to him in, I guess Russian or whatever, and Merab started going crazy. Then we got into a little physical altercation, but that was really it. So hopefully no charges pressed and we move on,” Buzukja said during an appearance on The Weekly Scraps podcast (transcription via MMAjunkie.com).

“….“I went and approached him, and I just put his hand down,” Buzujka said. “I was trying to deescalate and tell him, ‘Yo, calm down, bro. Relax.’ Merab was going away. I just wanted to tell him to relax, have some respect. Then he cracked me first. Actually he cracked me with a nice little left hook, and then it was just instinct to hit him back. Then security came in, but part of me is like, ‘Should I just drop the bucket and just jump over and start swinging?’ Just go full f—ing degenerate, but I’m glad it didn’t happen that way.”

Buzukja is 1-3 in UFC competition since making his promotional debut in August 2023. His most recent appearance came at UFC on ESPN 62, where he dropped a split decision against Francis Marshall last August.