Manager reveals alleged contents of infamous Ottman Azaitar duffle bag: “It was potatoes”

In January, lightweight prospect Ottman Azaitar was briefly released by the UFC after violating the safety protocols of the promotion’s Fight Island bubble.

According to the reports that emerged at the time, Azaitar had been caught attempting to smuggle a bag into the Fight Island safety zone. The contents of that bag, however, have remained a mystery ever since.

Speaking to Kevin Iole of Yahoo! Sports, Ali Abdelaziz, who manages Azaitar, was asked to reveal the contents of the bag.

His answer? Potatoes.

Yes, according to Abdelaziz, Azaitar was cut from the UFC for attempting to smuggle potatoes into the Fight Island bubble.

“Potatoes,” a straight-faced Abdelaziz said. “Potatoes. It was potatoes in the bag.”

While it seems exceedingly unlikely that this is the full story surrounding Azaitar’s safety violation, it’s the closet thing we’ve gotten to a real answer so far.

It’s also worth noting that Azaitar was later reinstated as a member of the UFC roster, so whether it was potatoes in his bag or not, he clearly wasn’t smuggling anything particularly heinous.

Azaitar is actually on the ground in Las Vegas ahead of Saturday’s UFC 259 card, and made a surprise appearance at the event’s media day. According to multiple reporters on the scene, he was seen carrying another bag and proclaiming “I’m back.” So it seems that the mysterious bag he attempted to smuggle into the Fight Island bubble has become something of a gimmick.

Ottman Azaitar is currently a perfect 13-0 in MMA, with two consecutive wins in the Octagon. Highlights of his resume so far include wins over Teemu Packalén and Khama Worthy. A ridiculous 12 of his 13 wins have occurred by way of knockout or submission—a statistic that has helped assert him as one of the hottest prospects on the promotion’s roster.

Do you believe Azaitar was carrying potatoes in his duffle bag on Fight Island?