Female Russian fighter addresses slapping coach after TKO loss at UFC Vegas 101 in official statement: "I couldn't cope with my emotions"

UFC Vegas 101 featured one of the most viral MMA moments in early 2025, with a women's strawweight fighter from Russia slapping her cornerman following a TKO loss. Now, Victoria Dudakova, the fighter in question, has addressed the tremendous amount of negative attention her actions have drawn.

On Instagram, Dudakova penned a lengthy statement, revealing that the man she had slapped in the post-fight moments following her loss to Fatima Kline was no mere coach or cornerman. Instead, he appears to be her husband as well, with her Instagram auto-translated post including a selfie of the two of them.

"Emotions are a little off... First and foremost, I would like to apologize to my husband and my coach. I was sorry that in such a difficult moment, he turned his back on me and didn't want to enter the cage. This is not an excuse and I am not looking for excuses for myself. I did wrong, I couldn't cope with my emotions. Set a bad example for athletes and the younger generation. I also want to apologize to sports fans. Thanks to everyone who stays with me in this difficult situation."

Dudakova entered UFC Vegas 101 with an impressive 8-1 record but found herself unable to stop a relentless Kaline, who improved to 7-1-0 by TKO'ing the Russian 115-pounder. Now, with an 8-2 record, Dudakova will have to do much to erase the memory of her post-fight incident with her husband and coach.

She was a fighter of little known before the bout, a prospect still working to introduce herself to the MMA fanbase. Now, many remember her as the fighter who slapped her cornerman after a loss, accusing him of being uncaring.

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Victoria Dudakova isn't the only UFC fighter in a relationship with her coach

Former two-time UFC women's strawweight champion Rose Namajunas is among the few fighters to be in a relationship with one of her coaches. In this case, it is her fiancé, Patt Barry, a former heavyweight mixed martial artist and ex-Glory kickboxer.

Barry has been present for many of her fights, working as a cornerman. Unfortunately, Namajunas has struggled for consistency as of late, going 2-2 since losing her 115-pound title in a widely-panned split-decision loss to Carla Esparza.