Surging UFC welterweight amused by viral $250,000 fine and Paris ban rumor that was later spread by Chael Sonnen
UFC welterweight Bryan Battle has reacted to false reports of him being banned from Paris for his latest post-fight interview.
On Sept. 28, Battle extended his promotional record to 6-1 (one no contest) with a second-round knockout win at UFC Paris against Kevin Jousset. The 30-year-old's latest Octagon performance was followed by a post-fight interview that saw him encourage the French crowd to boo him for defeating their countryman.
Following UFC Paris, an X account impersonating the well-known Spinnin Backfist account joked that Battle was fined $250,000 and banned from Paris. Chael Sonnen was one of those who didn't fact-check the parody post, as he went on to make a YouTube video reacting to the "suspension."
During an interview with MMA Fighting, Battle was asked about the situation and responded by saying:
"It caught me off the rip because I knew it wasn't a real thing, or at least it was something I hadn't heard of... I was like, 'That's crazy.' I was like, 'I wonder who gave them this information because normal Spinning Backfist is a reputable source.'"
Battle continued:
"Then one of my friends pointed out that it wasn't Spinning Backfist, that was Spinnin Backp*ss. I was like, 'Oh, blessed.' I did see Chael Sonnen did the whole video and people were in the comments like, 'Uh, Chael, you need to check your sources.' That was funny."
Watch Bryan Battle discuss the false reports of him being banned and fined below:
Bryan Battle compares his UFC Paris post-fight interview to Renato Moicano's later that night
Renato Moicano closed out the UFC Paris event with a second-round TKO win against Benoit Saint Denis. Moicano took a different approach to his post-fight interview than Bryan Battle, as he utilized his microphone time to target the French government with a political rant.
During the previously mentioned interview, Battle had this to say about knowing he wouldn't be suspended or fined without Moicano suffering consequences:
"The craziest thing that I knew, I was like, 'I know there's no way you guys think I'm getting fined and Moicano is not getting fined.' He was actually like talking about the government. I said some goofy sh*t. I was being silly as hell. Moicano was talking about real-life things."
On Dec. 7, Bryan Battle will make his ninth promotional appearance at UFC 310. The unranked welterweight hopes to crack the top 15 with an impressive performance against Randy Brown, who's riding a three-fight winning streak.