Bruce Buffer recalls wildest UFC brawls in and out of octagon, has strong words for banned Dillon Danis

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Mixed martial artists are generally not friendly inside or outside of the octagon.

Brawls between fighters away from their fights are hardly a foreign concept, and there was another one in Abu Dhabi last week.

Former UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili was jumped by MMA free agent Usman Nurmagomedov, the younger brother of Dvalishvili's former opponent, Umar Nurmagomedov, in a hotel lobby overseas. Usman Nurmagomedov and his crew were sentenced to six months in prison.

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UFC announcer Bruce Buffer stands before the fight between Jiri Prochazka and Carlos Ulberg during UFC 327 at Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida, on April 11, 2026. (Sam Navarro/Imagn Images)

Bruce Buffer has been the ring announcer since 1996, so he's seen his fair share of scary moments.

"I was at the Khabib [Nurmagomedov] and Conor McGregor fight when Khabib jumped over the cage. That was a big deal. I’ve also seen other brawls break out. I’ve seen so many; I’ve been doing this for 31 years," Buffer recalled in a recent interview with OutKick. (Ironically, Khabib Nurmagomedov is Usman and Umar's cousin.)

UFC will head to Madison Square Garden on Saturday, and the last time MSG hosted fights, Dillon Dannis got into a brawl with several of lightweight champion Islam Makhachev's team in the stands. That event got him banned from UFC, which Buffer is more than fine with.

Conor McGregor of Ireland was involved in a post-fight incident following his loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov of Russia in their UFC lightweight championship bout at UFC 229 inside T-Mobile Arena on Oct. 6, 2018, in Las Vegas. (Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

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"Dylan’s banned. Dylan should be banned. It seems every time Dylan goes somewhere, he causes trouble, so there’s no reason for him to be anywhere near us. I have no problem saying that," Buffer said.

Buffer then remembers another brawl that had occurred after UFC 13 in 1997.

"I remember a big brawl in the early days at an after-party. I was talking to Tank Abbott, and all of a sudden I saw Tank get hit across the face with an overhand right. It was Wallid Ismail, and all hell broke loose," Buffer said.

"When I’m in a brawl like that, I get my back to a wall so you only have to worry about who’s in front of you. Everybody’s going at it. Always keep your back protected and know where your exit is. Know where your six is. Just watch. But things happen."

Buffer said he was "sorry to see" that Dvalishvili got fined, "because it wasn't his fault."

UFC announcer Bruce Buffer before the fight between Diego Lopes and Jean Silva during Noche UFC at Frost Bank Center. (Daniel Dunn/Imagn Images)

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"But those are the laws over there. Don’t do anything - don’t throw punches unless you’re in the ring or the Octagon," he said. "If you’re in Abu Dhabi, it’s not going to be a good outcome."