The fighter who begged Dana White for a UFC contract loses his first professional MMA bout
Dorobshokh Nabotov, who famously interrupted UFC 308’s press conference in October to ask Dana White for a contract, has now lost his first professional MMA bout.
During the press conference in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Ilia Topuria handed Max Holloway his first knockout defeat. Topuria subsequently retained his featherweight title in the main event, where Khamzat Chimaev secured a first-round submission victory over Robert Whittaker.
Nabotov’s ninth pro bout MMA took place under the ZFN banner against Matheus Camilo. ZFN is a South Korean MMA promotion founded by former UFC star Chan Sung Jung, also known as ‘The Korean Zombie’.
Unfortunately, Nabotov tasted defeat to the Brazilian after three tough rounds. The fight was part of the ‘Dana White: Lookin’ for a Fight’ episode, where the UFC President searches for the next big MMA star around the world.
Despite withdrawing from attending the event live due to a martial law order issued by the South Korean President’s cabinet, White scouted the event remotely through a video call.
Ironically, White has since confirmed that Camilo has been signed to the UFC following his victory. He also revealed that ‘The Korean Zombie’ informed him about Nabotov causing issues during fight week.
I picked the other guy [Camilo], White said after UFC Tampa on Saturday night. He won the fight and he looked damn good doing it. He was the better, well-rounded fighter.
The other kid [Nabotov] looked very one-dimensional. And ‘The Korean Zombie’ told me he had a lot of problems with that kid that week, threatening to pull out of the fight if he didn’t get more corner men and crazy s*** like that.
It played out the way it should’ve.
When Nabotov spoke to White for the first time, he expressed his desire to fight in the UFC. However, now it seems that the Tajikistan native has lost his chance of joining the prestigious organization.
