Viral sensation Hasbulla rules out UFC fight

Hasbulla Magomedov—the viral MMA sensation who suffers from a rare growth hormone deficiency—is unlikely to compete in the UFC anytime soon. The 19-year-old Dagestani…

By: Karim Zidan | 1 year ago
Viral sensation Hasbulla rules out UFC fight
Bloody Elbow 2.0 | Anton Tabuena

Hasbulla Magomedov—the viral MMA sensation who suffers from a rare growth hormone deficiency—is unlikely to compete in the UFC anytime soon.

The 19-year-old Dagestani star revealed that, despite rumors suggesting that UFC was prepared to offer $1.5 million for the breakout star to compete for the organization, he was never contacted by the world’s leading MMA promotion.

“We didn’t discuss it and Dana White didn’t offer it,” Hasbulla told media during a press conference ahead of the Eagles MMA event last week.

Hasbulla emerged as one of the most popular social media stars of 2021, amassing millions of followers while hanging out with the likes of former UFC champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and attending UFC 267 as a guest of honor alongside Dana White.

Footage from the UFC 267 event in Abu Dhabi last month also showed Hasbulla in a skirmish with rival Abdu Rozik, a Tajik singer and rapper who suffers from a similar growth hormone deficiency.

When asked whether the UFC would host a potential match-up between Hasbulla and Rozik, White was quick to hype up the Dagestani sensation, stating that he “loves the kid” and that there was more than a zero percent chance that he would fight in the UFC.

Despite White’s comments, Hasbulla dismissed claims that he would compete for the UFC anytime soon.

“[Dana White] didn’t say anything about the UFC and fights,” Hasbulla added at the press conference on Friday. “Some people want to organize it but they won’t be able to, because it will be expensive and not too many people will be able to (pay for it). Plus I don’t want it at the moment.”

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About the author
Karim Zidan
Karim Zidan

Karim Zidan is a investigative reporter and feature writer focusing on the intersection of sports and politics. He has written for BloodyElbow since 2014 and has served as an associate editor since 2016. He also writes for The New York Times and The Guardian. Karim has been invited to speak about his work at numerous universities, including Princeton, and was a panelist at the South by Southwest (SXSW) film festival and the Oslo Freedom Forum. He also participated in the United Nations counter-terrorism conference in 2021. His reporting on Ramzan Kadyrov’s involvement in MMA, much of which was done for Bloody Elbow, has led to numerous award nominations, and was the basis of an award-winning HBO Real Sports documentary.

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