'You’re going to get me crucified…' Despite Dana White’s U-turn on flag bans, fighter reveals Albanian flag was pulled moments before walkout

UFC’s regulations made it strict to sport any kind of flag in a celebration. One can get outraged that the Albanian fighter faced an unfortunate scenario. However, as it turns out, Dennis Buzukja’s flag had gold trimmings that could not be an accessory en route to a fight. Hence, there exists no bans on the Albanian national flag.

Matthews (7-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC) suffered the first stoppage loss with a knockout defeat at the hands of Buzukja. This feat and the Albanian fighter’s first win were reason enough to celebrate. Moreover, Buzukja has deep-seated reverence for Albania, aspiring to be the next-gen face of Albanian MMA. However, he stuck to his professionalism and performed spectacularly nonetheless after the flag debacle.

Dennis Buzukja overcame flag disappointment to bag knockout win

UFC on ESPN 54 wasn’t spectacularly awe-binding, but the fight card matched an all-time TKO record in promotional history. The eight stoppage results by TKO or knockout tied with eight others in UFC history. Surprisingly, the main event did not live up to expectations.

A head-scratcher was that Dennis Buzukja couldn’t walk out with his flag. The fighter, who faced Connor Matthews, had flaunted his flag colors on all his merch all week. Just before the walkout, he faced disappointment when the officials denied him to carry the Albanian national flag. He was already coming off from back-to-back skids. A disappointment would have demotivated most people but not Buzukja.

Buzukja and Matthews had a back-and-forth war. In the first two rounds, Buzukja had more volume but Matthews had the better striking accuracy. Entering the last round, Buzukja connected with a giant left and consequent pounding to defeat Matthews. A night of disappointment suddenly became a night to revel for the Albanian fighter.