UFC Fans Furious as Nikolay Veretennikov Attacks Austin Vanderford After Loss | MMA News

UFC Fight Night 252 had its share of great moments, but it’s what happened after the fights that had fans talking. Nikolay Veretennikov, fresh off a tough loss to Austin Vanderford, let the emotions get the best of him. Instead of taking the L and moving on, he went after Vanderford post-fight, shoving him from behind and setting off a near brawl. Security had to step in.The crowd was stunned. And now, fans are calling for Dana White to drop the hammer.

Nikolay Veretennikov’s UFC Future in Jeopardy After Heated Incident

Austin Vanderford came in on four days’ notice, but you wouldn’t have guessed it. He fought like a man who had everything to prove, picking Veretennikov apart before finishing him in the second round. Clean win, no controversy. But instead of shaking hands and moving on, Veretennikov snapped.
He stormed over, shoved Vanderford from behind, and suddenly, the octagon turned into chaos. Officials jumped in before it could go further, but the damage was done—at least in the eyes of UFC fans.
“Good way to get fired,” one fan wrote online. Another took it even further: “Bro did this as a 12-6 fighter. He’ll be putting fries in the bag by Monday.”
It was the kind of moment that makes headlines for all the wrong reasons. Fighters lose all the time, but losing control like that? That’s a different story.
Dana White doesn’t have a history of letting this kind of thing slide. Just ask Paul Daley, who got himself permanently banned from the UFC for taking a cheap shot at Josh Koscheck after the final bell. White even referenced that incident after Veretennikov’s outburst.
“He punched. Paul Daley punches Koscheck in the face,” White said. “Listen, yeah, it’s never good when you go over. But, you know, I don’t know why he went after him [Vanderford]. I understand he was upset with the referee.”
That doesn’t exactly sound like a vote of confidence for Veretennikov.
For a guy already on shaky ground, this wasn’t the move. Veretennikov came into the UFC with promise, but back-to-back losses have put his future in question. Now, instead of figuring out how to bounce back, he might be figuring out how to explain this one to Dana White.
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Meanwhile, Vanderford should be celebrating a big win, but his moment got overshadowed by the chaos.If history is any indication, Veretennikov might not be getting another shot. The UFC has no problem cutting guys for less, and if White wants to send a message, this might be the easiest decision he makes all week.