One of the most memorable moments from UFC press conferences this year was when an unknown 25-year-old lightweight begged Dana White to sign him to the UFC roster.
Whilst Dana White would offer the unknown fighter an opportunity to prove himself with a fight in South Korea, it sadly ended in heartbreak for the athlete from Tajikistan.
MMA fighter who begged Dana White for UFC contract suffers heartbreak
At the UFC 308 press conference, 25-year-old lightweight Dorobshokh Nabotov went viral after he used his time on the microphone to demand that Dana White sign him to the roster.
Nabotov claimed that he was 9-0 (later confirmed to be 8-0) and was ready for a shot in the big leagues; with his ploy being widely praised by both fans and fighters across the MMA community.
White wouldn’t sign the Tajikistan athlete directly, but instead gave him the opportunity to compete on ‘Lookin For A Fight’ – the same show that bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili entered the promotion through.
Nabotov’s moment arrived on December 14 at Z Fight Night 2, the promotion helmed by UFC legend Chan Sung Jung, aka. The Korean Zombie, in South Korea and unfortunately, the 25-year-old would suffer a unanimous decision defeat.
Prior to the fight, Jung would state “I watched a lot of his fights to find the right opponent for him, and I believe he has what it takes to survive in the UFC… I wanted to find him an opponent that is also UFC caliber, and that’s how we landed on Matheus Camilo—he’s a young striker with a dangerous style.”
It’s unclear whether 23-year-old Camilo, who now holds a professional record of 9-2 will be granted the same grand prize as Dorobshokh.
Dana White was meant to attend The Korean Zombie’s second MMA show
Dana White was actually meant to be in attendance for Chan Sung Jung’s second MMA show; however, due to political unrest in South Korea, the decision was made that White would tune in via satellite.
“I tried to persuade him until the very end, but it didn’t work out,” TKZ explained to MMA Fighting earlier in the week.
“He was supposed fly in with his private jet for the trip and booked a hotel room worth tens of thousands of dollars for a week. That level of commitment from him is more than enough for me.
“Everyone knows how important he is globally, and his security team had their fair share of concerns. So I totally understand his team’s decision. I’m just grateful that he’s still putting so much thought and effort into supporting this event.”
Jung is one of several ex-UFC fighters who have started their own combat sports promotion after hanging up the gloves, including Khabib Nurmagomedov, Jorge Masvidal, and most recently, Mike Perry.
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However, the UFC veteran was honest about the fact that he “never wanted to run a promotion when I was actively fighting,” having officially retired after his KO loss to Max Holloway in August 2023.
“Dealing with people is always challenging, and fighters can be especially tough to manage. But I figured if I used my fighting career and spoke to fighters from the heart, they’d trust me and follow my lead. That’s what convinced me to do it.”
If you’d like to watch Z Fight Night shows in 2025, the promotion has penned a broadcast deal with UFC Fight Pass.