Dana White cancels UFC 279 press conference after 'all hell broke loose' backstage
LAS VEGAS – The UFC 279 pre-fight press conference was canceled mid-session Thursday due to a “big (expletive) show” backstage, company president Dana White said.
White explained to a booing crowd before he walked off stage that the decision was “for everybody’s safety, this is the right decision.”
Initially, there was a lengthy delay – not an irregular practice when stars like Nate Diaz are involved. However, UFC staff also shuffled the name tags about, as Diaz, Khamzat Chimaev, Tony Ferguson, Li Jingliang, Kevin Holland, and Daniel Rodriguez were scheduled to appear.
The latter two were the only ones to appear, however. They took the stage with White, who announced to the crowd that initially fighters would be brought out in pairs. Holland and Rodriguez fielded a few questions and were squared off, after Holland, like White, declined to give significant comment on what went down.
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After Holland and Rodriguez were escorted off the stage, there was visible conflict from White, who looked to his staffers for a sign of what was to come next. It appeared Chimaev and Diaz should be next, but after an interjection from White’s personal security guard, White said, “(Expletive) it. Wrap. Wrap it.”
White continued into the microphone, “Yeah, this ain’t going to happen. I apologize, everybody. I am in very weird waters here. This has never happened in the history of this company. Let me tell you this is the right decision not to do this press conference right now. Yeah, I hear you. I’m with you. But for everybody’s safety, this is the right decision. I apologize.”
In an impromptu media availability staged later Thursday at MGM Grand Garden Arena, White shed a little more light about what happened.
"Let me just start out by saying I’m not going to tell everybody what went on back here," White began.
“Multiple crazy – I don’t even know what to call it. However many years, 22 years, however long I’ve been doing this, we’ve never had an incident like today. All hell broke loose out here. I don’t even know how to (say it). We stopped it, but we didn’t do a good job of not letting (it) happen. I just don’t know."
White described the scene as “very physical” with “lots going on” backstage, which is why he ultimately decided to call off the press event mid-session. Objects were allegedly thrown.
Initially, the plan shifted from bringing all six fighters out at once to bringing them out in pairs. However, after Holland and Rodriguez answered a few questions from media, White decided to shut the whole thing down because altercations reignited backstage.
“We figured two-by-two would work,” White said. “We were wrong.”
White said four fighters total were involved and confirmed tweets from MMA reporter Ariel Helwani that Kevin Holland and Khamzat Chimaev were first to engage before a domino effect of exchanges with other fighters.
Holland and Chimaev have had run-ins in the past at the UFC Performance Institute and a fighter hotel, between numerous insults hurled at news conferences and interviews.
Somehow, the Diaz camp was involved, as well. Diaz, who showed up with a crowd of approximately 25 people to media day Wednesday, rolled in with a similar crowd Thursday. The sheer amount of people backstage made for a tricky situation, White explained.
“The Diaz camp showed up with 57 people. Khamzat’s team had 30-something people. Then you had multiple guys going on back here. It was crazy," White said. "It was absolutely nuts back here. … You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to figure out where this whole press conference was headed.”
White reiterated the fights scheduled for UFC 279 are not currently in jeopardy and that he expects an added security presence for tomorrow’s ceremonial weigh-ins and faceoffs.
“We come here with a skeleton crew for the press conferences,” White said. “There aren’t nearly as many people as there are for the ceremonial weigh-ins. We’ll have tons of security, Metro, it’s a totally different ball game.
“… This will never happen again.”
UFC 279 takes place Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPNEWS and early prelims on ESPN+.
