The scuffle was initiated by the reigning UFC champion, who pounced on his opponent, jumping over two rows of seats and throwing several punches. After the security service separated the fighters, the American was escorted out of the hall.
Shortly afterward, the middleweights commented on the incident on social media.
“Now I see why you have a 33% early win rate – you hit like a girl and security can’t save your life when I end up on top on January 20,” the South African fighter wrote.
“I am merciless to all of you: to Izzy feeding his dog with his mouth, to Dricus making out with his trainer and grabbing his scrotum, and to O’Malley talking about how he shares his wife,” Strickland replied.
As a reminder, the middleweight title fight between Sean Strickland and Dricus Du Plessis will be the main event of UFC 297, which takes place Jan. 20 in Toronto.