Image: Octopi Media.

450SMX title threat Haiden Deegan has indicated that he intends to ‘do whatever it takes to try and win’ at Saturday night’s decider, while also suggesting that he and Cooper Webb ‘handled it like men’ and ‘threw down’ post-race at Playoff 2.

It hasn’t been clear what transpired at the Los Angeles round inside the Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing transporter, with standout premier class newcomer Deegan since shedding further light on the situation on the eve of the SMX Final.

“It got pretty wild,” Deegan recalled. “It’s good though. 
I feel like that’s the way to do it – that’s how it needs to happen if someone disagrees on something, you handle it like men. And we, for sure, handled it like men. 
Now, I think we both respect each other more that we got in there, threw down, both came out still able to race a dirt bike, so it’s good.

“I think it’s gonna make for some exciting talk leading up to the race, but again, I think me and Coop are cool now, so handled that shit. We’re good, get back to work, that’s all you really can do. It’s gonna lead up to a good race this weekend, but I don’t think, honestly, anything from this weekend’s gonna drag on.

“Come out and we’re both trying to win, so it’s gonna get some good racing, honestly. I don’t think it’s gonna get between us, I don’t think it was that dirty… 
I wasn’t trying to make it that way, but, obviously, it turned into something pretty gnarly. We handled it though, it’s squashed, so the media don’t have nothing to run with – we handled it like men.

After breakout out with his first-career 450 victory in Columbus, a spectacular second playoff round of the 2026 Monster Energy SMX World Championship at Dignity Health Sports Park saw Deegan crash in the closing stages of moto two, sparking a well-documented turn of events that him take down current teammate Webb – left infuriated following the checkered flag – but was cleared of any penalties.

Deegan will enter Thunder Nature Arena in Rigedale, Missouri, facing a 16-point deficit to red plate-holder Jorge Prado (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing). Already a two-time 250SMX world champion, last year saw the 20-year-old enter Las Vegas 10 points behind eventual winner Jo Shimoda (Honda HRC Progressive) in a dramatic showdown that didn’t fall Deegan’s way.

“
We’re still second in points,” he added. “I didn’t realise – I watched the race back – I was like, damn, I had the points lead with about three laps to go until I ate shit, but it’s the sport, man. It just shows you how quickly it can change and how quickly it can go good and bad at this one.

“Biffed it in the sand, went from being two points up to 16 points down. It sucks… That’s how it goes. We’re gonna, obviously, give her all she got at this last round. It literally shows you that anything could happen in one round.

“It is what it is, so we’re gonna come out and go for the win, and obviously, you want a championship. You know me, I’m gonna do whatever it takes to try and win that, and if you do, you do. If you don’t, you don’t. 
But the goal is to do it, so I’m ready to go send it.”

With $1-million dollars on the line for the 450SMX championship’s post-season, this weekend will also signal Deegan’s final outing together with longtime mechanic Brent Duffe, who he was aligned with upon turning pro with Star Racing full-time in 2023. It was revealed mid-year that Duffe would be departing in order to follow a career in Formula 1 from 2027.