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By Simon Head
Contributing Sports Writer
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One of the big flashpoints of last weekend's UFC Fight Night event in Las Vegas has drawn an apology from the fighter involved.
Russian strawweight Victoria Dudakova went into her bout with Fatima Kline at UFC Vegas 101 as a massive underdog, but that didn't stop her from showing her frustration after losing via second-round TKO to the American at the UFC APEX.
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In the immediate aftermath of her loss, as she gathered with her corner team inside the Octagon, her husband, who is also her coach, approached her to offer some words of support. But Dudakova reacted angrily to his approach and appeared to slap him across the face before exchanging some terse words with him.
Following the incident, Dudakova posted a photo of her with her husband, and she issued an apology for her angry reaction following her defeat.
"Emotions are a little off..." she began.
"First and foremost, I would like to apologize to my husband and my coach. I was sorry that in such a difficult moment, he turned his back on me and didn't want to enter the cage.
"This is not an excuse and I am not looking for excuses for myself. I did wrong, I couldn't cope with my emotions. I set a bad example for athletes and the younger generation."
"I also want to apologize to sports fans.
"Thanks to everyone who stays with me in this difficult situation."
More news: Chris Curtis Reacts to Last-Second TKO Loss at UFC Vegas 101: 'Frustrated and Heartbroken'
Dudakova's athletic career started out with the aim of becoming an Olympic swimming champion, and she earned the title of Master of Sports in Russia for her exploits as a junior swimmer.
Inspired by Ronda Rousey, she later transitioned to combat sports and captured junior championships in kickboxing and MMA before capturing multiple medals in IMMAF competition as an amateur.
She eventually turned pro in September 2020 and won five fights in just over a year to earn a shot on Dana White's Contender Series in August 2022. Her victory over Maria Silva did enough to impress the UFC boss, who awarded her a contract to compete in the Octagon.
But, since joining the UFC, things haven't gone quite as smoothly for the Volgograd native.
More news: Kickboxing Ace Cesar Almeida Delivers Jaw-Dropping Come-From-Behind Knockout at UFC Vegas 101
After a first-round finish on her UFC debut, Dudakova missed weight for her bout against Jinh Yu Frey at UFC 294 and was fined 20 percent of her fight purse, despite going on to win the bout. She then lost a split decision, and her undefeated record, against 8-6 veteran Sam Hughes at UFC Abu Dhabi last August.
Saturday's defeat to Kline saw Dudakova fall to back-to-back losses for the first time in her young career, and the 25-year-old's frustration was there for all to see.
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