After all, Ottman Azaitar is not going anywhere.
On Saturday, 29 days after noting that Azaitar’s UFC term had ended, UFC President Dana White told ESPN she had changed her mind. The UFC will give Azaitar a “second chance.”
Azaitar manager Ali Abdelaziz told ESPN the incident was a “misunderstanding” and thanked White and the UFC for their final decision. According to Abdelaziz, Azaitar was never officially removed from the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency’s list or test group.
On January 22, news emerged that Azaitar (13-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) had breached the COVID-19 protocol in Abu Dhabi ahead of his planned UFC 257 fight against Matt Frevola. As a result, their struggle was canceled. It was at that time that White said Azaitar was eliminated from the UFC.
“(Azaitar) and his team cut off their bracelets and took them to people outside, a man,” White told MMA Junkie’s Farah Hannoun as he detailed the alleged incident. “This guy went inside the bubble, went into a room, went down four balconies, went in through the balcony (of Azaitar) and left a bag of we don’t know what. Then he changed his clothes and came out of the bubble again. We had it all on camera, we saw it all, and as it all fell apart, we pulled the fight and cut it. “
Azaitar, 31, is undefeated as a professional. His resume includes two UFC wins, both by first-round playoffs. In his promotional debut, Azaitar exploited Teemu Packalen with a massive right and final fight. In his second-year promotional outing in September, Azaitar finished Khama Worthy with punches in 93 seconds.