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Dillon Danis UFC Embedded
Brawls to the wall

McGregor's team-mate denies sparking UFC 229 brawl with religious slur

Dillon Danis was Khabib Nurmagomedov’s target when he leapt from the cage after defeating Conor McGregor.

DILLON DANIS HAS insisted that he did not spark a brawl at UFC 229 by directing a religious slur at lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov.

An unsavoury incident followed Saturday’s main event, in which Nurmagomedov made a successful defence of his title by submitting Conor McGregor in the fourth round.

Moments after his victory, the undefeated Russian leapt from the cage and attempted to attack Danis, who was part of McGregor’s corner team. 

There were subsequently chaotic scenes at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, with the Nevada State Athletic Commission currently conducting an investigation.

A report from TMZ accused Danis of provoking Nurmagomedov, a devout Muslim, with a racial slur, but that has been strenuously denied by the 25-year-old.

In a statement released to ESPN, Danis said: “Khabib fans are attempting to smear me in an effort to justify his actions. I have never and would never denigrate anyone’s religion.

“I look forward to the results of the Nevada Gaming Commission investigation which will reject this bullshit claim and put the blame where it belongs.”

Danis, a native of New York, has been associated with McGregor’s team since prior to the Dubliner’s rematch with Nate Diaz in 2016.

An elite jiu-jitsu practitioner, Danis made a successful start to his professional MMA career under the umbrella of the Bellator promotion earlier this year.

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