UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou sent out a hilarious title challenge to Hasbulla Magomedov after the MMA sensation inked a deal with Dana White’s promotion.
Hasbulla, also known as ‘Mini Khabib,’ has appeared at UFC events in the past and holds close ties with the likes of Khabib Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev.
The Russian influencer has met up with UFC president White since his rise to stardom on social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram.
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And Hasbulla even went as far as calling on White to allow him to fight UFC superstar Conor McGregor after a heated social media spat between them.
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‘Mini Khabib’ on Thursday took to social media to confirm that he had signed a deal to fight in the UFC.
“The rumours are true. I have officially signed a deal to fight in the UFC!” Hasbulla wrote to his 3.5m Instagram followers.
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“Details will be revealed by the end of the year. Thank you to [UFC], [Dana White], [Khabib Nurmagomedov], [Surkhay Sungurov], [Justin Ozuna] and everyone who helped make this dream become a reality.
“All my fans will be able to buy a Hasbulla fight kit soon on UFC.com and hasbulla.com.”
Following Hasbulla’s announcement, Ngannou took to Twitter to post a hilarious mock image of himself and Hasbulla in front of the octagon.
“I think I have my next title defence [Hasbulla Magomedov],” he tweeted.
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Hasbulla wasted no time in responding to Ngannou by sending a GIF of him wearing boxing gloves and doing a throat-slitting gesture.
Ngannou, who last defended his championship against Ciryl Gane at UFC 270 back in January, has been sidelined from the octagon due to MCL and ACL injuries.
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However, it is believed that the 36-year-old UFC star is targeting his MMA return in 2023 after successfully undergoing surgery on his right knee in March.
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Islam’s manager, Ali Abdelaziz, has confirmed that Hasbulla will be in his fighter’s corner at UFC 280 in Abu Dhabi on 22nd October.
Islam is expected to headline the UFC card in a hotly anticipated fight against Charles Oliveira for the vacant UFC lightweight championship.
Topics: Francis Ngannou, Hasbulla Magomedov, UFC, MMA
Adnan Riaz