Following the UFC 257: Poirier vs. McGregor II ceremonial weigh-in show, UFC president Dana White briefly spoke with BT Sport where he broke news that the UFC has decided to cut undefeated lightweight prospect, Ottman Azaitar.
The decision to cut Azaitar came after he violated the health and safety protocols set in place by the UFC bubble that keep the fighters, staff, and fans in attendance safe from contracting COVID-19.
Initially, the UFC announced that Azaitar was out of his lightweight bout against Matt Frevola due to the violation. However, the promotion ultimately decided to take further action due to the severity of the matter.
“So he (Azaitar), and his team, cut off their wristbands, gave them to somebody outside the bubble – I don’t know how they even did it,” White said. “That guy taped them, showed up here with a bag, went into a room, shimmied across four balconies, went in his room, dropped the bag off, changed his clothes, and then left. Now when security tried to stop him, he wouldn’t stop either way. It’s just bad. He’s gone. He’s no longer a UFC fighter, and he’s not fighting tonight.”
