One of the most memorable moments during this year's UFC press conferences was when an unknown 25-year-old lightweight begged Dana White to sign him to the UFC roster.
While Dana White would offer the unknown fighter the chance to prove himself with a fight in South Korea, it unfortunately ended in heartbreak for the athlete from Tajikistan.
Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC
MMA fighter who begged Dana White for a UFC contract is suffering from heartbreak
At the UFC 308 press conference, 25-year-old lightweight Dorobshokh Nabatov went viral after using his time on the mic to demand that Dana White sign him to the roster.
Nabatov claimed he was 9-0 (later confirmed to be 8-0) and ready for a shot in the major leagues; with his trick being widely praised by both fans and fighters in the MMA community.
White did not want to sign the athlete from Tajikistan directly, but instead gave him the opportunity to compete on 'Lookin For A Fight' – the same show that brought bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili into the promotion.
Dorobshokh's moment of glory arrived earlier this morning at Z Fight Night 2, the promotion led by UFC legend Chan Sung Jung, aka. The Korean Zombie, in South Korea, the 25-year-old would unfortunately suffer a unanimous defeat.
Before the fight, Jung said: “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 who also likes it's UFC caliber. , and that's how we ended up with Matheus Camillo: he is a young striker with a dangerous style.”
It is unclear whether the 23-year-old Camillo, who now has a professional record of 9-2, will receive the same top prize as Dorobshokh.
Dorobsho Nabotov came up short in the fight that could have earned him a UFC contract, losing via unanimous decision to Brazilian Matheus Camilo. pic.twitter.com/t9elKBef3i
— Red Corner MMA (@RedCorner_MMA) December 14, 2024
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Dana White was scheduled to attend The Korean Zombie's second MMA show
Dana White was actually supposed to be at Chan Sung Jung's second MMA show; However, due to political unrest in South Korea, it was decided that White would tune in via satellite.
“I tried to convince him until the end, but it didn't work,” TKZ explained to MMA Fighting earlier this week.
“He would fly in on his private jet for the trip and book a hotel room worth tens of thousands of dollars for a week. That level of dedication from him is more than enough for me.
“Everyone knows how important he is globally, and his security team was quite concerned. So I completely understand his team's decision. I'm just grateful that he still puts so much thought and effort into supporting this event.
Jung is one of several ex-UFC fighters who started their own combat sports promotions after hanging up the gloves, including Khabib Nurmagomedov, Jorge Masvidal and most recently Mike Perry.
However, the UFC veteran was honest about the fact that he “never wanted to be promoted while I was actively fighting,” after officially retiring following his KO loss to Max Holloway in August 2023.
“Dealing with people is always a challenge, and fighters can be particularly difficult to deal with. But I thought if I used my fighting career and spoke to fighters from the heart, they would trust me and follow my lead. That convinced me to do it.”
If you want to watch Z Fight Night shows in 2025, the promotion has signed a broadcast deal with UFC Fight Pass.
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