DANA WHITE was accused of mixing "politics" with sport in a shock call out from Chechen warlord Ramzan Kadyrov following the controversial end to UFC 282's main event.
Former light-heavyweight champ Jan Blachowicz collided with Russian Magomed Ankalaev in the final pay-per-view of the year last weekend for the vacant 205lb belt.
The fight ended in a controversial draw, although many believe Dagestani destroyer Ankalaev did more than enough in the last two rounds to bring the UFC belt back to his homeland.
That view was shared by Ankalaev's patron and pal Kadyrov, who wrote on his Telegram: “Dana White, what happened to you?”
“You were a normal, principled man, and today you took the championship belt out of the ring without handing it to the clear winner.
"Or has politics entered the UFC ring and requires you to referee dirty? It’s a sport, Dana. Be honest.”
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Kadyrov – who has been accused of several human rights abuses – then urged White to follow the suit of ACA president Mairbek Khasiev, who entered the cage in July to call off a fight due to inactivity.
He said: "Take an example from Mairbek Khasiev, (ACA league), who stops any [judging] in the league, any bias, demanding objectivity and not mixing sports with politics.
“Hey, Dana White, were are you going? Save the face of the league, your own face.
"Admit your mistake, give the belt to the real winner, and apologize for this show. Save your league’s reputation.”
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Kadyrov has links to several UFC fighters past and present, including former lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov.
As well as Ankalaev, the Chechen chief also has ties to surging welterweight contender Khamzat Chimaev.
White was less than impressed by the final title fight of 2022, so much so that he booked another bout for the vacant 205lb strap before Blachchowicz and Ankalaev had even left the arena.
When asked how he scored the fight, he said: “I don’t even know. I started to zone out after like f***ing three rounds.
“I heard Ankalaev is upset or whatever. What do you want me to do?
"You got beat up the first two rounds. You took him to the ground. What are you going to do?
“What are you going to do? I thought the main event was terrible.
"What are you going to do? You do Glover vs. Jamahal Hill in Brazil for the vacant title. Done.”
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