Having shot to fame on the combat sports circuit, Hasbulla Magomedov recently earned a shoutout from Khabib Nurmagomedov.
The Dagestani phenom took to Instagram to share a cut-out of the young social media star on his story. This comes after Hasbulla Magomedov and Khabib Nurmagomedov were seen spending time together at UFC 267 last month.
Khabib Nurmagomedov and Hasbulla Magomedov have seemingly grown close ever since the internet sensation's videos went viral online. They were even seen sharing a few nice words with Dan Hooker after the New Zealander suffered a first-round submission loss at the hands of Islam Makhachev at UFC 267.
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Although Hasbulla has no connection to the world of combat sports, he has managed to find his way into mainstream MMA discourse on the back of the content he produces online. There has even been talk regarding an event featuring a fight between Hasbulla and his arch-rival Abdu Rozik.
Will fans get to witness Hasbulla Magomedov inside the octagon
There have been widespread calls for Hasbulla Magomedov to be offered an opportunity to go toe-to-toe with his nemesis inside the UFC octagon. With the way entertainers have swept across combat sports communities, setting up crossover fights and YouTuber-boxing clashes, this hardly seems far-fetched.
However, early indications of a bout featuring Hasbulla and Abdu Rozik suggest the clash is unlikely to take place on MMA's biggest stage. UFC president Dana White, during an appearance on the Pardon My Take podcast, poured cold water over fans' hopes of witnessing Hasbulla and Rozik lock horns inside the octagon.
"I don't know if he wants to get involved. From what I hear, his father is super protective of him. If that's the case, you don't want your kid fighting."
Catch Dana White's comments in the video below:
Despite White suggesting the chances of Hasbulla appearing in the UFC are low, the Dagestani could very well be swooped up by another promotion.
Considering how Khabib and Hasbulla have grown close in a matter of months, we certainly can't count the former UFC lightweight champion's Eagle Fighting Championship promotion out of the race to sign Hasbulla for a fight.