MMA News Roundup: Ex-fighter gets slapped stopping UFC 279 backstage brawl, former title challenger signs with PFL for $1 million, MMA community reacts to Queen Elizabeth II's death
Welcome to today's edition of Sportskeeda's daily MMA News Roundup, where we present the biggest UFC updates and other stories from the world of mixed martial arts.
In the latest issue, we talk about a former fighter getting slapped and kicked while trying to stop the backstage fight at today's UFC 279 presser, a former UFC title challenger signing with the PFL, and more.
#3. Dana White thanks Tiki Ghosn for handling UFC 279 backstage fight
When Khamzat Chimaev showed up at the Performance Institute to provoke Paulo Costa in the middle of training, that was apparently only a trailer of what was to come.
At the UFC 279 press conference earlier on Friday, an impromptu brawl broke out between Khamzat Chimaev and Kevin Holland, which was further fueled by the involvement of Nate Diaz and company. Ultimately, it led to the cancelation of the press conference.
Former fighter-turned-manager Tiki Ghosn played a key role in de-escalating the situation.
Watch Ariel Helwani detail the incident below:
Here’s the full story regarding why the UFC 279 press conference was canceled before it started. https://t.co/adIIQfKFXW
Speaking on the matter with the media following the incident, Dana White expressed gratitude to Ghosn for taking "a couple of water bottles to the head, a couple of slaps, kicks" to handle the brawl.
Watch the video below:
White also admitted that the promotion did a less-than-adequate job of tackling the situation.
#2. Thiago Santos signs multi-fight deal with the PFL
Former light heavyweight title challenger Thiago 'Marreta' Santos is headed to the PFL.
The Brazilian confirmed the news on his social media after initial reports from ESPN and MMA Junkie.
I need to tell you guys! I signed with PFL for 2023! I want that 1 million!
I would like to thank the @ufc for everything! Thank you @danawhite
@mickmanyard
Thank you @PFLMMA for signing me!
@petermurray
@raysefo
@Alexdavismma
Known for being one of the few fighters who came razor-close to beating Jon Jones, Santos is having "an amicable separation" with the UFC and is grateful for everything the promotion has done for his career, per his manager Alex Davis (via ESPN).
Santos is the second fighter from the promotion to jump ship to the PFL recently. The other is Shane Burgos, whose exit from the promotion was a company mistake, as admitted by Dana White himself.
#1. Dana White, Paulo Costa, and others pay respect to Queen Elizabeth II
On Thursday, Great Britain's Queen Elizabeth II passed away at the age of 96 years at her Scottish estate, Balmoral.
The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon.
The King and The Queen Consort will remain at Balmoral this evening and will return to London tomorrow. https://t.co/VfxpXro22W
The MMA community joined the rest of the world to mourn Her Majesty's passing. Several significant personalities, including UFC president Dana White, expressed their condolences on social media.
RIP Queen Elizabeth https://t.co/LhHwzsyI7i
Glad I got to put on a show for your Platinum jubilee year Queen. Rest In Peace to the Queen of England. twitter.com/royalfamily/st…
Both me & my parents generation knew not a life or country without a Queen. RIP Elizabeth.
Some, like the forever-funny Paulo Costa, decided to stick with his humor when it came to paying tribute to the Queen. He posted an edited picture of him passing his "secret juice" to her inside Buckingham Palace.
RIP https://t.co/46vcuvMt8Y
Read more tweets here.