Hasbulla to the UFC? That may not be as far fetched a possibility as you might think.
Anyone watching last week’s UFC 267 event from Fight Island, Abu Dhabi undoubtedly saw the pint-sized viral sensation, either sitting cageside or via a ton of social media posts. Hasbulla was in the cage after Islam Makhachev dismantled Dan Hooker, and even gave the dejected New Zealander a sympathetic pat on the shoulder — a spot he could reach because Khabib Nurmagomedov was carrying him around the cage.
There’s no doubt that he pumped those engagement numbers way up for an afternoon card held halfway around the world. In fact, the small man’s mighty metrics may be so big that Dana White is willing to do something with Hasbulla in the UFC.
“So I’m going to tell you something,” White said in a recent interview with Barstool Sports. “So the video that he sent saying ‘Dana White, I’m coming to Abu Dhabi and UFC’ … so when I posted that with me on the plane saying ‘I’m coming,’ it’s the biggest post that I’ve ever posted. I have 6.7 million followers on Instagram. 6.4 million people watched that video. Is that f**king crazy?”
Describing his meeting with Hasbulla as “Incredible,” Dana White opened the door to the UFC doing something with him.
“I love the kid,” White gushed. “Is there more than a zero percent chance? Yes.”
Now turn your attention to this headline from RT Sports: “Clash of the tiny titans: UFC ‘offers $1.5MN’ for bout between Russian viral star Hasbulla and world’s smallest singer Abdu Rozik.”
Yes, according to ‘a camp insider,’ the UFC has made a $1.5 million bid to hold the much hyped Hasbulla vs Abdu Rosik bout. Is this just an attempt from Hasbulla’s team to generate some hype or is there something real behind this?
We have our doubts that the two would ever face off for a real MMA fight inside the Octagon, but there are plenty of other possibilities in play. Could White be hoping to put Hasbulla vs. Abdu Rozik on UFC Fight Pass via a contracted promotion like Eagles MMA or UAE Warriors? Would he move Hasbulla into some sort of hype building position for future events?
Or … and now this is where we think things should go: could we be on the verge of seeing The Ultimate Fighter: Hasbulla vs. Abdu Rosik?