Exclusive: Ottman Azaitar says he was "innocent" in the "bag" mystery during pandemic - "There's a reason UFC brought me back"

At one point in time, Ottman Azaitar was an undefeated prospect and Morocco's best hope for greatness in the UFC. The 155-pounder's exceptional striking skills, seismic knockout power and killer instinct made him a winner of 10 consecutive fights, of which nine were finishes.

However, that hype train almost came to a screeching halt when he was released from the UFC in 2021 for violating the promotion's COVID-19 safety protocols. While he was re-signed soon after, he returned to the octagon after more than a year away. Unfortunately for Azaitar, his comeback was not triumphant.

The heavy-handed Moroccan suffered a first-round knockout loss to Matt Frevola last year, robbing him of his undefeated record. Now, Ottman Azaitar is scheduled to face Francisco Prado tomorrow at UFC Fight Night 224.

In an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda, he touched on the incident that led to his past release.

The specific incident allegedly involved Azaitar and members of his team handing their wristbands to someone outside, who then entered the Moroccan's hotel room through a balcony to hand him a bag, whose contents remain a mystery. When asked about the bag's contents, he claimed he was innocent of any wrongdoing.

"It's not for me, like, important after being in a hotel to send someone out to bring me something in a bag. So this bag question, you know, this bag topic, it was, like, overrated. What I can say about the whole situation and I make it very long story short, it has a reason why the UFC brought me back in, and the most important reason is that I was innocent. Point."

Check out the interview below (10:07):

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Who is Ottman Azaitar's brother?

Ottman Azaitar is the younger brother of Abu Azaitar, a 185-pounder currently competing in the UFC middleweight division. While his brother had the hype of an undefeated record when he first got on the promotion's radar, things were different for Abu Azaitar.

Despite not being an undefeated fighter, he entered the promotion with a nine-fight unbeaten streak. His promotional debut was successful as he scored a unanimous decision win over Vitor Miranda. Unfortunately for Abu Azaitar, his subsequent fight ended with a crushing third-round TKO loss to Marc-André Barriault back in 2021 at UFC 260. He has not fought since the bout.

Meanwhile, Ottman Azaitar is scheduled to take on Francisco Prado tomorrow.

Watch UFC Fight Night: Holm vs. Bueno Silva live in India from 7:30 AM onwards on Sunday, July 16, only on Sony Sports Network.