The fallout from the UFC 322 brawl still refuses to cool off, and this time it’s not a fighter in the crossfire, but Islam Makhachev‘s manager, Ali Abdelaziz. Things heated up when NYC Mayor Eric Adams publicly condemned the recent chaos at UFC 322 and announced that the NYPD is conducting a thorough investigation. Hours later, Ali hopped on X to ridicule Conor McGregor for “calling the police,” adding fuel to an already raging situation.

For many fans, the timing was bizarre: a city official demanding accountability on one side and one of MMA’s best-known managers criticizing Conor McGregor on the other. The incident struck a nerve, dividing the MMA world into two vocal factions: those outraged by Ali’s “gangster” act and those who would stick with ‘The Notorious’ no matter what the headlines say.

Fans rip into Ali Abdelaziz for using the “Gangster” card against Conor McGregor

Once Ali’s tweet hit X—“I thought you were gangsters, but now you call the cops?”—fans fired back instantly. And they did not take it easy on him. “Gangsters doesn’t mean fighting one guy with 10 people, you dumb f—!”

Emphasizing the same, as more fans wrote, “10v1 is very gangster, you egghead,” and “10 on 1. Real tough.” The message was clear: nobody was buying Ali’s narrative. Others reminded him of the old days, bringing up the iconic dolly incident from the heated UFC 322 fight buildup: “How gangster was Khabib when he was on the bus and Conor’s army was trying to get at him?” To these fans, Ali’s logic wasn’t just flawed; it was downright selective.

With Adams calling the brawl “completely unacceptable,” many people believed Ali was playing the wrong role at the wrong time. The other half of the comment section came out swinging in support of Conor McGregor. “If Conor sees you, he will break your face 💯.” Another channeled prime McGregor energy: “Crowds always come in groups, but a lion always walks alone—and the lion is the one and only The Notorious.”

Others switched the conversation to visas and responsibilities, saying, “All the new Dagestan guys are looking for a reason to fight 1x a year by not being allowed to enter America,” and “When you are on a visa in a country, you agree to follow all laws and be a responsible visitor.”

Now with NYC Mayor Eric Adams’s stern statement hitting X, “The NYPD (New York Police Department) is already conducting a full investigation, and everyone responsible will be held accountable,” it would be interesting to see what action gets taken against those involved. For now, only one person involved has faced any type of responsibility: Dillon Danis. Meanwhile, Dana White has taken full blame for what happened.

Dana White accepts responsibility for the Team McGregor vs. Makhachev clash

Long before Ali Abdelaziz took a shot at Conor McGregor and Mayor Eric Adams escalated the situation, Dana White stepped up and accepted responsibility. While fans were still fighting about visas and who jumped whom, the UFC CEO confessed that the spark for the entire melee came from a decision he instantly regretted.

The UFC CEO said security alerted him early in the night that Dillon Danis was wandering through the fighter sections, not sitting where he was supposed to, and attracting unwanted attention. When asked if he should be removed, Dana waived it off—Danis had a ticket, Jorge Masvidal, who promised to intervene if the situation escalated, was several rows away, and everything seemed manageable.

What he didn’t account for was Islam Makhachev‘s team sitting only a few seats over, like a powder keg waiting to pop. And when it finally did, White realized exactly what he had permitted to happen. “As soon as it broke out, I knew exactly what that was.” His frustration was obvious, not only at Danis but also at himself, and his action was swift.

He announced, “You will never see Dillon Danis at a UFC event again.” The irony is that the UFC CEO wanted the whole incident handled quietly, but with Adams launching a full NYPD investigation, even accepting responsibility early may not be enough to prevent the damage from spreading.