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It’s pretty hard to achieve an ambitious dream if you don’t have the initiative to do everything in your power to make it come true, and you have to give credit where credit is due to an MMA fighter who may have landed a UFC opportunity by seizing the chance to plead his case to Dana White.
On Saturday, UFC 308 will unfold when Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi hosts the slate of fights that will culminate with the featherweight title showdown between reigning champ Ilia Topuria and Max Holloway.
On Thursday, Dana White was front and center at the press conference where fighters on the card got the chance to field questions from members of the media, but things took a very interesting turn when the microphone was commandeered by an undefeated MMA fighter from Tajikistan who seized the chance to plead his case to the UFC head honcho.
Showed up as a fan…leaving as a fighter?! 👀 #UFC308@VisitAbuDhabi | @InAbuDhabi | #InAbuDhabi pic.twitter.com/EFfCdtRiFs
— UFC (@ufc) October 24, 2024
According to Bloody Elbow, the fighter in question is 25-year-old Dorobshokh Nabotov, who the outlet notes has seemingly gone 7-0 as a pro as opposed to the 9-0 record he bragged about to White.
The 5’6″ lightweight most recently fought as part of the Russian-based AMC Fight Nights promotion and boasts two wins via knockout, one via submission, and four that were decided by the judges.
As of this writing, it’s unclear what transpired after White invited Nabotov onto the stage, but it seems the most likely outcome will see him earning a spot on the next installment of Dana White’s Contender Series (the most recent season of the show that launched the UFC careers of notable names including Sean O’Malley and Maycee Barber wrapped up earlier this month).
UPDATE: White tells TMZ Sports Nabotov will get the chance to prove his worth in South Korea on December 14th as part of the Lookin’ for a Fight series.
There’s no telling what the future holds for Nabotov, but this will be a wild origin story if he’s able to take advantage.