Victoria Dudakova has cleared the air on her controversial incident at UFC Vegas 101.
Dudakova slapped her husband and coach across the face after losing for the second time in her MMA career to Fatima Kline. The loss was brutal. A flurry of grounded elbows split Dudakova open, blood gushed, and she reserved herself for a TKO defeat – the first knockout of 2025.
Fans were taken aback by her actions after the fight, and she’s keen to clarify what happened and apologize to those watching.
Victoria Dudakova apologizes for setting a bad example
Dudakova finally broke her silence in an Instagram post on January 15, explaining that she was “upset” her husband wasn’t immediately by her side following the loss. she maintained that it was “not an excuse” for setting a bad example.
“The emotions have calmed down a bit,” Dudakova wrote. “First of all, I would like to apologize to my husband and coach. I was upset that at such a difficult moment, he turned away from me and did not want to go into the cage.
“This is not an excuse and I am not looking for an excuse for myself. I did the wrong thing, I could not control my emotions. I set a bad example for athletes and the younger generation. I also want to apologize for sports fans. Thank you to everyone who stays with me in such a difficult situation.”
With any hope, the UFC will be more favorable in Dudakova’s next fight, giving her a chance to recoup after the first significant setback of her fighting career.
What next for Victoria Dudakova
Before her back-to-back losses, Dudakova was touted to be the next best thing at women’s strawweight. She debuted in the UFC after a successful stint in Dana White’s Contender Series, where she immediately picked up a brutal dislocated elbow finish over Istela Nunes.
Cracks started to show when Dudakova missed weight for her fight with Jinh Yu Frey and promptly gassed in her next fight against Sam Hughes, picking up her first loss. That said, fighters have rebounded from worse, and with some improvements, Dudakova could soon be back on her winning ways.
At 25, Dudakova has a bright career ahead of her, provided she makes the necessary adjustments and the UFC extends her contract. Other fighters who rebounded after major setbacks include Charles Johnson and Dominick Reyes, who snapped losing streaks of three