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MMA

08th Jun 2018

UFC welterweight contender involved in brawl with fan at New York MMA event

Manager Ali Abdelaziz was also involved

Darragh Murphy

Why would anyone pick a fight with Kamaru Usman?

While we don’t know the ins and outs of what led to the brawl which marred the Professional Fighters League season opener in New York City, we do know that it’s a bad idea for most people to test their skills against the likes of Usman.

Usman is one of the most terrifying welterweights in the UFC and has yet to taste defeat in the Octagon, a run which has earned him a sixth-placed ranking in the 170lbs division.

Several top fighters have been accused of ducking ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ but one crowd member at the Hulu Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York clearly wanted a piece of Usman.

Footage shot by a fan at PFL 1 shows Usman and manager Ali Abdelaziz involved in a chaotic brawl in the stands while the event was going on.

It’s difficult to tell what sparked the hostility but the attention of both Usman and Abdelaziz appeared to be focused on one individual, who was shoved on two occasions by the UFC fighter.

Abdelaziz looked to throw several punches before the melee was broken up. It’s not the first time that we’ve seen a UFC fighter involved in a clash outside the Octagon.

The Diaz brothers have been involved in almost as many brawls as sanctioned bouts while you don’t have to cast your mind back too far to remember Conor McGregor’s attack on a bus in New York City, an incident which saw Abdelaziz insist that he would get revenge on the Irishman.