UFC 322 was definitely the night where Islam Makhachev and Valentina Shevchenko created history, grabbing the center spotlight. However, Dillon Danis unexpectedly came out and stole some attention by causing a massive brawl with Team Nurmagomedov. After that anomaly at Madison Square Garden, Dana White announced in the post-fight press conference that Danis won’t be part of UFC events anymore. But what about the other side?

The Khabib clan also actively participated in the brawl. Magomed Zaynukov, who recently got famous because of the ‘John Pork’ meme, and Khabib’s cousin Abubakar Nurmagomedov actually traded blows with Danis during the altercation. So, is there any punishment for them? According to the Vice President of the Moscow MMA Federation, Kamil Gadzhiev, Makhachev’s teammate, ‘Wild Chanko,’ could actually face suspension for participating in the melee.  

Is Magomed Zaynukov set to receive a suspension?

In his YouTube channel, the Russian MMA insider said, “They should’ve been all patient, waited there, and all this should’ve been done in a way that it doesn’t interfere with the organizers. I think it’s impossible to argue with that. Speaking of what Dillon Danis said, did he deserve to get punched in the neck? I think he deserved it. So, that’s it. Let’s move on. What could this incident lead to? Zaynukov hasn’t competed in the UFC yet. So maybe he’ll face some personal sanctions.”  

And that might be true. Magomed Zaynukov just earned his UFC contract by winning his Contender Series fight against Lucas Caldas, and he’s yet to make his UFC debut. So if Dana White decides to suspend the Russian for participating in the brawl with Danis, his debut might get delayed as well. As for Abubakar Nurmagomedov, he parted ways with Dana White’s promotion in 2024, so the only restriction on him would be entering a UFC event.

As of now, the UFC hasn’t announced any punishment for Magomed Zaynukov. However, it’s important to remember that officials suspended Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor for 6 months after their UFC 229 fight turned into a full-fledged brawl, so the authorities could also choose a similar route here.

That said, Kamil Gadzhiev also shared another detail that revealed the altercation between Dillon Danis and the Russian team actually escalated much more than it should’ve. So let’s take a look at that. 

Members of Team Khabib were escorted out of Madison Square Garden  

In the UFC 322 post-fight press conference, Dana White made it pretty clear that he planned to put a lifetime ban on Conor McGregor’s teammate for creating a scene at the biggest event of the year. However, the head honcho didn’t reveal much about how he dealt with the Khabib camp.

It was certain that the police and security escorted ‘El Jefe’ out of the arena after the brawl, but it wasn’t clear whether the same happened to the Islam supporters present at Madison Square Garden. Now, Vice President of the Moscow MMA Federation Kamil Gadzhiev has shared that the Russians were indeed escorted out, as one of his relatives was also removed by the UFC.

In the YouTube video, he added, “I know there’s a whole lot of people who came to support Khabib were escorted out of the arena. My closest friend and relative, Serkhay Sungurov, for example. I spoke to him right afterward. When I called him there in the basement, watching from there. So, either they didn’t escort him out of the arena or brought him back and didn’t let him into the arena.”

Now, Gadzhiev’s relative and close friend Serkhay Sungurov is also very close with Islam Makhachev, Khabib Nurmagomedov, and the entire Dagestani team, as he has multiple photos with them on social media. So if he was out of the arena, it shows that the melee went a little more out of control than expected. But so far, no such reports have come out.

That said, as the situation has calmed down, what do you think the UFC is going to do next? Are they really going to suspend “Chanko” for a few months? Let us know in the comments section below.