Another headline that you probably didn’t expect to read in 2022, right?
Earlier this week, it was revealed that Hasbulla Magomedov, a social media superstar and close friend of Khabib Nurmagomedov, had signed a five-year contract with the UFC in a deal allegedly worth more to the Russian than some fighters make in tenure with the company.
Though Dana White has joked in the past that there’s a greater than 0% chance that Hasbulla, who suffers a rare genetic disorder that affects the development of his body, will fight in the organization, Igor Lazorin, a Russian combats sports journalist, reported that the three-foot-tall pop-culture icon will instead help promote upcoming fights and events.
“This is a blast from the face!” Lazorin shared on Instagram. “Hasbulla signed a five year contract with UFC! So far in the plan – attending tournaments, media activity. We will not talk about the amounts in detail, but there they are such that many fighters do not get that much. Hasbulla signed 5 year contract with UFC! No fights yet, but…”
Coincidently, or perhaps not, this news comes days after Hasbulla and Conor McGregor traded barbs on Twitter; McGregor’s side of which has since been deleted.
The AllStar MMA roundup
- UFC Vegas 60: Tony Gravely says undefeated prospect Javid Basharat is in for a rude awakening
- UFC Vegas 60: After a 15-month layoff, Tanner Boser is hungry for a knockout win bonus at UFC Vegas 60
- UFC Vegas 60: Anthony Hernandez looking forward to “fan-pleaser” fight against Marc-André Barriault
- UFC Vegas 60: Will UFC Vegas 60 give us a new featherweight contender? Damon Jackson thinks so
The best of the rest
- Khamzat Chimaev coach details ‘unprofessional’ weight issues, shoots down UFC 279 ‘conspiracy theory’ – MMAFighting.com
- Nevada Athletic Commission to investigate UFC 279 press conference altercation for potential disciplinary action – MMAJunkie.com
- Li Jingliang wears ‘Robbed!’ shirt after Daniel Rodriguez loss, calls UFC 279 saga an ‘injustice’ – MMAFighting.com
- Khabib criticizes Chimaev’s failed weight cut at UFC 279: ‘There are no Muslims around him’ – BloodyElbow.com
- Nate Diaz opens as betting favorite over Jake Paul – BloodyElbow.com
The soapbox
‘Durinho’ wants round two in Brazil:
Khamzat had a secret meeting with Dana after his UFC 279 win:
Big Mouth on his decision to offer a glove touch:
Paulo Costa rates the Leech’s drip:
Paulo is apparently part of the Scrap Pack:
D-Rod offers to run it back with the Leech:
Adrian Yañez teases his next move:
Aaron Jeffery on his close friends Elias Theodorou’s passing:
How the Bendigo Bomber gets his strength and conditioning in:
Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnet is the buddy-cop film I didn’t know I needed:
The Spider’s thought on his fight with Jake Paul:
The morning view
Dan Hooker breaks down the Khamzat Situation:
Dan Hardy rehashes all of Nate Diaz’ signature guillotines:
Alexander Volkanovski reacts to UFC 279:
Done deals
Tuesday
- Slim Trabelsi to fight Parker Porter at UFC 280 on October 22nd (per ESPN)
Monday
- None to note
On this day in MMA…
On the 13th of September, 2014, Santiago Ponzinibbio earned his first win inside the UFC at UFC Fight Night 51 in Brasilia, Brazil.
‘The Argentine Dagger’ had faltered in his first official bout under the promotion after putting together a string of victories in 2013’s The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil – however in his sophomore appearance opposite Wendell Oliveira, Ponzinibbio earned redemption with a first-round knockout of the Brazilian.
In 2022, Ponzinibbio sits just outside of the UFC’s welterweight top 15 rankings, having just lost position to his recent opponent, Michel Pereira.
