Azaitar Refuses To Explain ‘Fight Island’ Bag Incident

Why is Ottman Azaitar refusing to explain the bag incident that got him kicked off “Fight Island” back in January?

Probably because it’s none of our business. That’s why.

Azaitar, an undefeated contender in the UFC’s lightweight division, got himself in trouble this past January after giving his “Fight Island” wristbands to outsiders prior to his fight at UFC 257. One of the outsiders then gained access to “Fight Island”, reportedly scaled a hotel balcony, and dropped a bag off in Azaitar’s room. The German fighter was removed from the card and was also expected to be released from the promotion as this was a direct breach of UFC’s COVID-19 safety protocol.

Luckily for Azaitar, UFC president Dana White has decided to keep him on the roster. It’s great news for “Bulldozer” as he’s already 2-0 inside of the Octagon and one of the best knockout specialists in the lightweight division. It is unknown at this time when Azaitar will step back inside of the cage, but at least he has the chance to do so.

All of that said, the MMA community is still wondering what was in the bag that was dropped off in Azaitar’s room. All parties have remained silent about the incident for the past two months and the story still seems to be developing.

During a recent interview with Mark Bergmann of Fighting.de, Azaitar spoke about the incident as a whole. However, he still refuses to give details on the bag until the timing is right.

“I just want to say: When I – Ottman Azaitar – will decide to let the public know about this, then only when I want to and when I see fit. Not because someone even thinks he can pressure me mentally and psychologically to address this and perhaps lie about this or whatever. No, no my friend. I am not asking your mother what’s in her purse, do I? I’m not even asking her if she has a bag in the first place! People shouldn’t always react prematurely after they read something. Of course, Dana White came down there and gave that statement. But Dana White even said it himself that he didn’t know if… you know what I mean? I’m not holding that against him. He has his security guys, and they come up to him and tell him this and that, balcony, blah blah blah. Of course, he thinks that there’s gotta be something to that story and says that in his statement. He even asked in that interview, if he should really do this, if they should really tell this story.

“Long story short: I don’t want to say that something is not true, and I don’t want to say that something is true. Should you release these words to the public, I want you to keep all of this in it, so nothing can be taken out of context. You know what I mean? This is important to me. I am basically saying nothing right now, this is basically a no comment on that whole situation and the bag itself. I am just talking about my life in general: It’s possible that someone is making a claim about you, it’s also possible that you are really guilty, it’s possible that… [Azaitar mumbles]. I’m giving you a little riddle, because I promised a Moroccan reporter before you to talk to him first, as soon as I want to address this a bit more openly. I promise you: for the German-speaking region, I will talk to you about the what, the who, the why and so forth. But what I really want to let everybody know is: I won’t do this because someone thinks he can pressure me or bug me, until I say something. And all the people going: “We were supporting you for years, you owe us something” – I owe you nothing, I never borrowed anything from you! I don’t ask what’s in your sister’s purse or your mother’s purse or whatever. Of course, people want to know what I think about this, but I am the master of my own thoughts! And I decide when and if I express them to the public or not. Everything I’m saying here is more riddle than… oh wait, this is my alarm clock. I have to go training.’

This thing just keeps getting stranger and stranger. If there is nothing to hide about the contents of the bag then Azaitar should just come out and say what was in it. The fact that this has been dragged along for two months leads us to believe there’s a little more to the story than what the fighter is leading on.

At this point, we may end up seeing the 31-year-old fighter step inside of the Octagon again before this whole “Fight Island” debacle is finally squared away.