During the Anthony Joshua versus Jake Paul boxing show in Miami, an unexpected confrontation took place away from the cameras inside the Kaseya Center. Former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski and internet personality Jack Doherty crossed paths in a crowded hallway, leading to a brief but chaotic physical exchange that quickly drew attention online.
Arlovski later suggested that Doherty and the people around him were attempting to provoke trouble, claiming verbal threats were made toward him, his family, and a close associate. Those comments fueled criticism of Doherty, whose online reputation already includes a history of controversy.
Doherty’s response
The following day, Doherty addressed the situation publicly and dismissed the accusations, stating that he had no interest in causing problems and that the encounter was not initiated by him.
“Everyone’s talking about that Andrei whatever UFC fight that we had at the Jake Paul fight,” Doherty said. “I did not start that, and I don’t know why everyone’s putting the blame on me. ‘Oh, you’re heading behind your security guard.’ Duh. This man walks by me, bumps into my cameraman and throws a kick at us for no reason and then my friend stepped in and then everything else happened. Bro, I’m not trying to fight this guy. I’m not trying to instigate a fight, I’m trying to stay out of trouble. I’m on bond right now, you think we’re trying to start fights, hell nah.
“That guy started the whole thing, you can see it, it’s all on video, so I don’t know why everyone’s trying to blame it on me. I was literally just walking by and this guy goes boom and then a little karate kick… you can see I did nothing to start the fight.”
Clips recorded by bystanders show Doherty and Arlovski making brief contact as they pass each other. The footage does not clearly confirm the kick Doherty described, but it does capture one of Doherty’s companions throwing a punch, which escalated the moment before security stepped in and separated everyone involved.
What did I do to start the Andrei Arlovski fight?😂 pic.twitter.com/F2DHaSsfKw
— Jack Doherty (@dohertyjackk) December 22, 2025
Doherty is widely known for confrontational content that has helped him build a massive audience across social media platforms. That same persona has also brought scrutiny, especially after a recent arrest in Miami Beach related to allegations involving drugs, blocking traffic, and resisting an officer without violence. Because of that situation, Doherty says he had strong reasons to avoid any behavior that could bring further legal trouble.
According to Doherty, his priority during the incident was to stop the situation from getting worse rather than to engage in a fight.
“All I tried to do was deescalate the fight and get everyone to stop fricking fighting because I’m like, yo, we can’t be fighting, I’ve got to stay out of trouble,” Doherty said.
With both sides maintaining opposing versions of events and video evidence leaving room for interpretation, the backstage clash remains a debated moment from an already high profile fight weekend. What began as a night centered on boxing instead produced an unexpected storyline involving a combat sports veteran and a controversial online figure.
