An audience member at a news conference asked UFC President Dana White for a fight contract in what may be one of the most bizarre moments of the year for the promoter.
During Thursday’s presser for UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, media members and fans were asked to line up behind microphones to ask fighters on the card — and White — some questions.
‘If he wins that night, I’ll sign him!’
About 30 minutes into the news conference, a man wearing a plain white T-shirt stepped up to the mic and grabbed it firmly.
“I am an undefeated elite athlete from Tajikistan. Nabotov Dorobshokh, nine wins, zero losses,” the man said.
The unknown fighter then begged the UFC president for a chance at fighting in the promotion: “Dana, I don’t have a question, I came here for a fight on short notice. I’ve never had a manager, I did it all by myself, please give me a chance. Dana, I want to fight in the UFC, please give me a chance, I’m ready, please give me, Dana.”
The crowd erupted in support for Dorobshokh as the UFC president smirked.
“Umm …” White paused, looking confused. “What’s your record?” he then asked.
“9-0,” Dorobshokh responded.
White then asked what weight he fights at — and with a translator’s assistance, White and the audience learned Dorobshokh is a “lightweight,” or 155 pounds.
In a video posted to X, White invited the fighter to the stage, shook his hand, and then directed him to some staff members off-screen before moving on to the next question.
It was later revealed that the UFC immediately went to work with the unknown fighter. White explained in a subsequent interview with TMZ that his team got him on a card in South Korea.
White told TMZ that the promotion ZFN, started by UFC legend Chan Sung Jung, is hosting the event in South Korea in December. White said he will the watch the new prospect’s bout while he’s in the country filming his own YouTube show, “Dana White: Lookin’ for a Fight.”
“I’m going to have [Jung] put that kid on the card, and we’re going to find out what he’s got,” White declared. “If he wins that night, I’ll sign him!”
White may have been hesitant to put Dorobshokh in a UFC-related event after discovering the fighter’s record is actually 7-0, two fewer wins than he had originally claimed. Even when factoring in Dorobshokh’s amateur fights, it’s hard to see where the Tajik fighter got to nine wins.
It’s not usual for the occasional Russian MMA fighter to have a fight record discrepancy due to the validity of some regional fight promotions in the country.
UFC 308 airs Saturday, while ZFN’s Z-Fight Night 2 takes place Dec. 14.
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Fearless, Dana white, Ufc, Mma, Sports
