This past Monday, MMA fans tuned into the Fight Nights Global 73 event and saw quite the spectacle as UFC veteran Diego Brandao hopped out of the cage during his main event bout against Akhmet Aliev.
Brandao explains that he was attempting to implement his game plan against Aliev when the fans started throwing stuff at him, which caused him to exit the cage.
"I don’t regret anything,” Brandao said to MMA Fighting. "My family and team are by my side. It’s tough to please everyone. I apologize to my fans in Brazil, United States and Dagestan, those who paid to watch the fight. I already asked for a rematch, I want to prove I’m better than him. Akhmet Aliev knows I’m better than him. Everything was going the way I planned. That was my strategy. I almost pulled a Nick Diaz and lay on the ground to see what he would do. But they are throwing bottles at me? I’m out of here."
The TUF alumni and UFC veteran had fought twice before in the Fight Nights Global promotion, winning both of those bouts without incident.
After the incident took place, the former UFC fighter had to be protected by armed security to prevent any threats against him from taking place.
"Russians don’t play around,” he said. "They said they would rip my head off and things like that, and when I responded they got mad at me. I had 20 bodyguards and three armored cars protecting me all week. It was intense.”
It is unknown at this time if the cage hopping Brandao I going to be brought back by the promotion, who has several former UFC fighters under contract.
