Not only did former featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski witness a behind-the-scenes scuffle between UFC fighters Michael ‘Venom’ Page and Farid Basharat following UFC 304 in Manchester, England last weekend, but he also briefly got involved himself.
Footage of the incident has now emerged less than a week after Volkanovski gave an account of what he’d seen during the incident. At the time Volkanovski didn’t realize that the person he’d been trying to stop from attacking ‘Venom’ Page was another UFC fighter, Basharat.
“I don’t know if I should even bring it up. I don’t know; maybe I won’t bring it up. You guys are gonna hate me for that. I won’t say who was involved, but I’ll tell you a little bit,” Volkanovski said in a video posted on social media the day after the event.
“Something happened in the lobby between two guys. One was a fighter; I don’t know if the other guy was a fighter. I don’t think he was random, but stuff happened.
“There might have been a little punch thrown. The other guy tried to get to him. Security tried to stop it. I’m like, ‘It’s not worth it, it’s not worth the cops’. I’m trying to stop it.”
“Guys were stepping and getting around all the security guards. I was trying to help, but he stepped around me as well. I’m like, ‘This guy has got some good movement’.
“He’s going again. I’m trying to tell him to ‘chill out’. Again, he’s come on; I’ve tried to grab him. We almost ran into the bottom of the stairs, so we sort of went down. I fell to my knees. As I’m trying to hold him, he slipped out. I was like, ‘This guy is very slippery’.
“There would have been a few security guards trying to stop him, he just found his way around, even I was falling off him. I don’t know if there will be footage of that coming out, so I’m not going to say any names.
“But if they do, you might see that. It’s pretty funny. See if there’s footage out there. If there’s not, you’ll never know who it is, and I’m sorry. I’m thinking, ‘nah’, I’m not going to say any names. Sorry guys, I’m going to get in trouble.”
From Volkanovski’s description it sounds like ‘Venom’ is the one who threw the punch, but that’s not shown in the video and it’s not clear what provoked him to do that in the first place.
The footage does show that Basharat was determined to try to get back at Page, evading not just Volkanovski’s grasp, but also leaving another security grounded after a failed takedown attempt.
Volkanovski was clearly impressed by Basharat’s evasiveness, and with good reason as the 26-year-old is currently undefeated in his 12-0 career, including three wins in the UFC so far since joining from the Contender Series.
However, perhaps it’s best that there was other people like Volkanovski there to prevent Basharat from getting into a full-on fight here given that he’s a 135lb’er who stands 5ft 8″ with a 71″ reach, while ‘Venom’ is 170lbs, stands 6ft 3″ tall and has a 79″ wingspan.
Altercation at the fighter hotel after UFC304 with MVP and Farid Bhasharat with Volk going for a double leg to calm things down. Strange week . pic.twitter.com/E71CzUr2N8
— Casuals Corner (@CasualsCorner_) July 31, 2024
Alexander Volkanovski says there was a fight at the hotel after #UFC304 last night between two guys, one of them being a fighter
YT / @alexvolkanovski #UFC #MMA pic.twitter.com/stdjmcVF3F
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) July 28, 2024
