MMA

Dana White invites Dorobshokh Nabotov to compete for UFC contract after spontaneous press conference request

post-img

Fighters are always looking to get Dana White’s attention, but one enterprising athlete in Abu Dhabi might have taken the cake.

Tajikistan’s Dorobshokh Nabotov made the most of his microphone time at the pre-fight press conference for UFC 308, asking White for a chance to compete on short-notice and then being invited on stage to shake hands with the UFC CEO.

See the interaction below.

“Dana, I don’t have a question, I come here for fight on short notice,” Nabotov said, speaking on the microphone in the stands reserved for media and fans. “I never had a manager, I did all by myself. Please give me a chance, Dana, I want to fight in UFC. I’m ready, please give me, Dana, I want to fight.”

White then asked Nabotov his age (25), record (8-0 according to Sherdog, though Nabotov said he is “9-0”), and what weight division he competes in (lightweight). He then wondered why Nabotov wasn’t one of the fighters to compete on the most recent season of Dana White’s Contender Series.

“Where were you on the Contender Series?” White said. “The Contender Series just ended, where were you?”

“I’m ready,” Nabotov answered. “Give me a chance, please. Doesn’t matter, UFC.”

It was then that Nabotov was allowed to step on stage and briefly greet White, much to the delight of the crowd.

White later told TMZ Sports that though Nabotov will not be signed outright, he will have the chance to fight in front of White as part of an upcoming Z Fight Night event on Dec. 14 in Goyang, South Korea. The promotion was founded by former UFC star “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung.

Jung has promoted the event as being part of White’s Dana White Lookin’ for a Fight series, in which he attends smaller MMA shows looking for potential signings.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by ZFN (@zfn__official)

Nabotov’s opponent is yet to be announced and his involvement has not been made official yet by Z Fight Night.

 

Related Posts