Dana White answers if Kazakh UFC fighter will face similar consequences as Paul Daley's infamous lifetime ban for shoving Austin Vanderford after bell

Dana White has addressed the ongoing speculation about whether the Kazakh UFC fighter involved in a post-fight altercation at UFC Seattle would face similar consequences as Paul Daley did back in the day. White juxtaposed both cases and shed light on the UFC's approach toward Daley and the Kazakh combatant.

At UFC 113 in May 2010, England's Paul Daley suffered a unanimous decision defeat against America's Josh Koscheck in a deemed UFC welterweight title eliminator matchup. Following his loss in the high-stakes fight, Daley proceeded to approach and blindside Koscheck with a punch inside the octagon.

Then-UFC president (now-UFC CEO and president) Dana White subsequently announced that Daley was fired from the UFC and would never compete in the organization again. Over the years, White has maintained that any fighter who attacks another fighter after their official MMA bout inside the octagon would be barred from the UFC organization.

Coming to UFC Seattle on Feb. 22, 2025, America's Austin Vanderford defeated Kazakhstan's Nikolay Veretennikov via second-round TKO in their 175-pound catchweight bout. Veretennikov vocalized his disagreement with referee Kevin MacDonald's stoppage, implying that it was premature. The Kazakh fighter then approached and shoved Vanderford, who shoved him back.

During the UFC Seattle post-fight press conference, Dana White was asked about the Vanderford-Veretennikov incident and whether it'd be approached through the same lens as the Daley-Koscheck incident. White indicated that the two were vastly different and stated:

"He punched. Paul Daley punched [Josh] Koscheck in the face. Listen, yeah, it's never good when you go over. But, you know, I don't know why he [Nikolay Veretennikov] went after him [Austin Vanderford]. I understand he [Veretennikov] was upset with the referee."

White suggested that Veretennikov was actively defending himself, so he understood why the Kazakh fighter was annoyed by the supposedly early stoppage. He added:

"What Paul Daley did was completely different."

After being asked whether a fighter could lose their job if they initiated a post-fight physical encounter, White implied that he's consistently seen worse and that Veretennikov was unlikely to be punished:

"You should see what goes on back here after the fights. You guys would f**king be crying forever if you knew what went on -- you're writing f**king all kinds of stories. And what are you gonna do to them? And believe me, that was nothing."

Check out Dana White's comments below (9:50):

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Dana White addressed Paul Daley's UFC exit in 2010 press conference

Speaking to the media after UFC 113, Dana White signaled that he liked Paul Daley's fighting prowess and even believed he was one of the best welterweights back then. Nevertheless, White underscored that Daley's post-fight punch against Josh Koscheck would result in the Englishman's permanent/lifetime ban from the UFC:

"He [Paul Daley] is done. I don't give a sh** if he's the best 170-pounder in the world. He'll never come back here again."

Per MMA Mania in 2014, Daley made multiple attempts to mend ties with and re-enter the UFC. White, despite reaffirming his admiration for Daley's combat skills, didn't change his stance on bringing him back. 'Semtex' extensively competed in other organizations after his UFC exit in 2010 and retired from MMA in 2022.

Watch Dana White discuss the topic below (0:10):