"He should've punched her back", "They failed her" - Fans react as female Russian fighter slaps her coach after TKO loss at UFC Vegas 101

Russian fighter Viktoriia Dudakova shocked fans at UFC Vegas 101 when she slapped her coach following a TKO loss to Fatima Kline. The incident occurred moments after the second-round stoppage, marking Dudakova's second consecutive defeat.

The loss marked Dudakova’s first career stoppage defeat, dropping her record to 8-2. Meanwhile, Kline improved to 7-1 after rebounding from a short-notice debut loss.

UFC cameras captured Dudakova dismissing her coach’s attempt to console her. She shrugged off his comforting gesture and slapped him before addressing him in Russian.

The cause of her frustration remains unclear, but fans quickly voiced their opinions online.

One fan commented:

“He should’ve punched her back for being a bum.”

Another wrote:

“I think it's fair. The coaches job is to protect the fighter and have them ready for any position. It's not just on the fighter that shows up and takes the advice. She relied on her coaches and training and they failed her.”

Check out some of the fan reactions below:

Fans react to Viktoriia Dudukova's action post-fight at UFC Vegas 101. [Screenshots courtesy: X]

Dudakova’s frustration likely stemmed from the fight’s outcome. After securing two takedowns in the first round, she struggled in Round 2 as Kline dominated with ground-and-pound elbows. Dudakova landed only one significant strike in the nearly 10-minute bout before the referee called the fight.

---

Johnny Walker withdraws from UFC 311 due to injury

In other news from the UFC, Brazilian light heavyweight Johnny Walker has withdrawn from UFC 311, citing a "bad injury" that has sidelined him from the Jan. 18 event in Los Angeles. Walker announced the news on social media, expressing disappointment over missing the pay-per-view show but emphasizing the need to prioritize recovery:

“I’m devastated. A lot of hard work I put in a few months, trained a lot, and I really want to come back and do the show for you, but not this time. I wish Bogdan good luck, hopefully he can find an opponent because he probably put a lot of hard work as well, so hopefully he can find a replacement very soon. I know this is not good news, but I have to make a right decision and accept this and recover, come back strong because now.”

Check out Johnny Walker's post below:

Walker has been looking to rebound from a challenging three-fight winless streak, including losses to Magomed Ankalaev and Volkan Oezdemir. His last UFC victories were a trio of wins over Ion Cutelaba, Paul Craig, and Anthony Smith between 2022 and 2023.

UFC 311 will proceed at the Intuit Dome, headlined by Islam Makhachev defending his lightweight title against Arman Tsarukyan, with Merab Dvalishvili taking on Umar Nurmagomedov in the co-main event.