Islam Makhachev’s victory at UFC 322 was historic, as he claimed the welterweight title in dominant fashion at Madison Square Garden. However, an unsavory incident involving Dillon Danis overshadowed the celebration.
The controversial figure found himself permanently banned from all future UFC events after deliberately antagonizing the Dagestani contingent with deeply offensive AI-generated content.
According to renowned coach Javier Mendez, who spoke on Submission Radio following the event, Danis crossed multiple lines of decency. “That guy, I mean, why doesn’t he grow up?” Mendez questioned.
The incident occurred when Danis positioned himself in the fighter section, specifically choosing to sit near Khabib Nurmagomedov’s section. “He was sitting in the fighter section and sitting where team Khabib was to boot. I mean, come on, dude. You’re asking for trouble,” Mendez explained.
The catalyst for the confrontation was Danis displaying AI-generated videos on his phone showing fabricated images of Islam Makhachev and manager Ali Abdelaziz in a romantic embrace. He also created similar content involving a p*rn star and Islam in compromising positions.
Javier Mendez told @SubmissionRadio that Dillon Danis was showing an AI video of Islam and Ali kissing to the Dagestan section.
This is one of the reasons the fight started. Javier also mentioned that Dillon was mocking the religion of Islam. pic.twitter.com/k9hCvYQupY
— Spinnin Backfist (@SpinninBackfist) November 17, 2025
“They showed me the videos of what he was showing, showing Ali and Islam in a relationship type embrace,” Mendez confirmed. The coach emphasized the religious and cultural offense these images represented to the Muslim fighters and their team.
Mendez drew parallels to Danis’s previous controversies, noting that Logan Paul’s girlfriend had successfully sued him for similar defamatory behavior. “What do you expect when you do that and you go and you sit where the guys are sitting and you’re riling them up with big huge disrespect?” he asked rhetorically.
The coach was particularly critical of Danis targeting the team’s religious beliefs. “You got to stop that stuff. It’s like, stop taking on people’s religion, man. That’s what he was doing. He was making fun of it,” Mendez stated emphatically.
UFC CEO Dana White swiftly responded to the incident by implementing a lifetime ban on Danis from all UFC events. Mendez expressed relief that the situation was contained before the main event, preventing further disruption to what should have been a celebration of Islam Makhachev’s remarkable achievement in becoming a two-division champion.
