UFC 302 fan gets punched in stands as ‘slap me’ taunt backfires

The fights at UFC 302 in Newark, New Jersey weren’t limited to the octagon.

There was some brutal violence in the stands that would have easily been overturned by a referee if it had happened in the ring.

A war of words between two fans quickly escalated when one with long blonde hair in a black tank top shouted, “You said you were going to slap me, didn’t you, white boy ? Come slap me, white boy” hitting his chest.

Eventually, both men stood up and came face to face when the blonde fan got exactly what he wanted: a slap from the man sitting in front of him wearing a bucket hat.

The not-quite-gentleman man who was wearing a hat then fell backwards after the slap before an all-out brawl ensued.

According to a video published on X by @happypunchthree slaps were thrown before one sought to completely knock out the blonde-haired man as he somersaulted about five rows into the section.

Warning: graphic video

From there, spectators reacted with “oohs” and “ahhhs” to one of the most entertaining and bizarre knockouts of the night.

The slaps appeared to turn into punches as the man’s long blonde hair worked against him as it was grabbed by the attacker, who fired several uncontested shots to the face.

The ugly scene got worse as some fans moved away from the assault, while others joined in the brutality.

There were no KOs or TKOs at UFC 302, an extremely common event with most fights going to the judges’ scorecards for a decision.

All three finishes of the 12 fights ended in submission, including the main event where Islam Makhachev submitted Dustin Poirier in the fifth round to retain his lightweight championship.