Reports: Dillon Danis Slapped by MMA Manager Ali Abdelaziz Backstage at UFC 268

Bellator MMA fighter Dillon Danis was slapped by manager Ali Abdelaziz during an incident backstage at UFC 268, according to multiple reports.

MMAjunkie.com first brought word of the altercation, which was confirmed by multiple eyewitnesses in reports. Danis was reportedly escorted from the venue after security intervened between the two men. It is unclear what caused the incident, though Danis and Abdelaziz haven’t had the most pleasant of converstations in the past on social media.

In a since deleted tweet captured by MMAFighting.com, retired former UFC champion Michael Bisping wrote that not only was Danis removed from the building, but he has been banned from all future events held by the Las Vegas-based promotion.

“So pathetic,” Bisping wrote. “FYI people, [Danis] was legit slapped in the face like a b--h backstage and then ejected and banned from all UFC events.”

It’s not the first time that Danis has been involved in an altercation outside of the cage in 2021. In September, the Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner was arrested and charge with disorderly conduct for creating a disturbance outside the a bar in Seaside Heights, N.J. Danis is seen being lifted off the ground and handcuffed by officers before being taken away. Danis later claimed that bar security became confrontational when he was unable to produce a driver’s license, which led to a physical altercation that included bar staff and a security guard who claimed to be a police officer.

A Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt who has served as Conor McGregor’s grappling coach at SBG Ireland, Danis is 2-0 in is MMA career but has not competed in the Bellator cage since June 2019. He was slated to return to action at Bellator 238 in January 2020 but had to withdraw from the event due to injury.