Mystery solved: Potatoes were in the bag Ottman Azaitar tried to sneak into ‘Fight Island’
Ottman Azaitar made a brief appearance at UFC 259 media day on Wednesday. According to multiple reporters in attendance, Azaitar entered the room at the UFC Apex where interviews took place, said hello, laughed and pointed at a bag, then ran out.
Think maybe he feels good about his new lease on UFC life?
We all thought Azaitar was no longer on the UFC roster after he violated COVID-19 protocols by trying to smuggle a bag into the “Fight Island” bubble on Jan. 22. Later that day, UFC president Dana White said Azaitar had been cut for his actions, which involved giving his wristband to a guy who “shimmied down four balconies” in an attempt to get the bag to Azaitar.
Just about a month later, on Feb. 20, it was revealed that White had a change of heart and decided to give Azaitar second chance. So now he remains a UFC fighter.
But what was in the bag? That’s been the big mystery ever since this wild story came to light. Well, we finally found out from Azaitar’s manager, Dominance MMA’s Ali Abdelaziz, in an interview with Yahoo! Sports’ Kevin Iole.
“Potatoes,” Abdelaziz said with a straight face. “Potatoes. It was potatoes in the bag.”
Potatoes? This only raises more questions: Were they sweet potatoes? Yukon golds? Russet? What kind of potatoes are we talking about here? And what was their purpose? Why were these potatoes so important that you’d risk your UFC career?
Potatoes, huh? Never would’ve guessed that.
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Abdelaziz went on to clarify further how Azaitar, who’s 13-0 overall with two first-round knockouts in his first two UFC fights, was never actually released.
“He didn’t lose the job,” Abdelaziz said. “At the end of the day, it was almost like an investigation. Dana looked over it. He’s a great kid. Everybody loves him. All the UFC staff loves him. Some people got involved. Dana was involved. Listen, when you have Dana White himself handling certain situations, it’s a serious situation. At the end of the day, if they find out whatever they think he did or didn’t do, he’s a good enough person to get a second shot. He got a second shot at it, and he’s looking to get a fight right now.
“He’s a UFC fighter. He was never cut officially from the UFC. Let’s remember when you have media start asking about stuff, Dana wears his heart on his sleeve. Nobody can violate the bubble. I don’t think everything that happened was intentional. At the end of the day, it’s over. I’m not saying who’s wrong or who’s right. Dana thankfully brought him back, and everything is good.”
I still can’t get over how this was all about potatoes.
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