White: UFC weigh-in scuffles like Khabib Nurmagomedov's are to be expected

LAS VEGAS – When Khabib Nurmagomedov failed to make weight at Friday’s UFC 160 fighter weigh-ins and then immediately shoved opponent Abel Trujillo, officials quickly corralled the Russian fighter, and none seemed to happy.

But UFC President Dana White believes it’s not as big of a deal as some have made it out to be, and unless punches are thrown, he said he’s likely to look the other way.

“The nicest guys in the world are the meanest, nastiest dudes you’ve ever seen on weigh-in day,” White told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) after UFC 160, which aired Saturday on pay-per-view from MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. “That’s why I’m always right there. When he pushed him, I said, ‘Jesus Christ, I’m getting old. I can’t even stop a push now.’ … But that’s why we’re there. That’s what happens. We’re there to make sure the fight doesn’t happen before the fight.”

Nurmagomedov (20-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) went on to defeat Trujillo (10-5 MMA, 1-1 UFC) via lopsided three-round unanimous decision in an FX-televised prelim. The lightweight registered a UFC record 21 takedowns (a new record for both three- and five-round fights), and the bad blood from Friday’s weigh-ins didn’t seem to necessarily carry over to fight night.

White said that’s why he’s willing to give fighters a little leeway. Most guys are already on edge because they’re dehydrated and cranky, he said. And though White didn’t say it, an intense face-off or two is only going to bring more attention to the following day’s event anyway.

“These guys are nasty,” White said. “This s— is going to happen. As long as nobody punches each other and no melee breaks out up there, listen, that’s part of the game. That’s part of the deal.”

In fact, White said he thought Nevada State Athletic Commission Executive Director Keith Kizer and UFC site coordinator Burt Watson “kind of overreacted a little bit” when they quickly separated and chided Nurmagomedov (watch a video of the UFC 160 weigh-ins). He knows tensions are already high on weigh-in day, and that’s why, White said, he largely avoids any interaction with the fighters before they hit the scale.

White said Nurmagomedov’s situation – he was fined 20 percent of his purse for missing the 156-pound limit (158.5 pounds), half of which goes to Trujillo – probably compounded his hostility.

“We can handle a little pushing around here,” White said. “These guys are miserable. They’re nasty. He didn’t make weight. He know he’s upset about that. He’s losing his purse to this guy already. These are all the things you need to think about.”

“… You’re not going to get fined over something like that. You’d have to lay your hands on somebody to get fined, throwing punches before the fight and things like that.”

Despite the weigh-in hiccup, Nurmagomedov nonetheless will get an upgrade in opponent quality the next time out, according to White. The 24-year-old is now 20-0 with 14 stoppages, including one over veteran Thiago Tavares in his previous bout. And there’s only one way to determine if he’s ready for the division’s elite.

“He needs to fight higher-caliber guys,” White said.

For complete coverage of UFC 160, stay tuned to the UFC Events section of the site.