Who is Dorobshokh Nabotov? Discover the fighter who disrupted UFC 308 presser and asked for contract from Dana White
The UFC 308 pre-fight press conference witnessed a unique instance where a fighter potentially got an opportunity to be a part of the UFC. During the Q&A, undefeated fighter Dorobshokh Nabotov introduced himself to UFC CEO Dana White and expressed the desire to fight in the promotion.
White, who seemed visibly impressed, invited the fighter on stage and was seen instructing him to meet someone, possibly to discuss the way forward. The unique gesture has caught fight fans' attention and generated curiosity about Nabotov. This article explores his MMA career trajectory.
Who is Dorobshokh Nabotov?
Dorobshokh Nabotov is a professional MMA fighter from Tajikistan. He was born on Jan. 31, 1999. However, he trains in Chelyabinsk, Russia. The 25-year-old competes in the lightweight division and holds a 7-0 record in the professional MMA circuit. Meanwhile, his amateur MMA record stands at 5-1.
Nabotov made his professional MMA debut in January 2018 with a unanimous decision win over fellow debutant Gadzhiakhmed Babaev. He last competed against Murad Bilarov at AMC Fight Nights 122 in November 2023 and earned a majority decision win. Two of his seven professional MMA wins came by T/KO while the only submission victory on his record came by a Ninja choke against Sanjar Azhibaev in July 2022.
Despite the seemingly dominant run so far, Nabotov has yet to compete against experienced competitors. Testimony to the fact is that four of his seven opponents had two or fewer professional MMA fights on their record at the time of their clash with the Tajik fighter.
Dorobshokh Nabotov and Dana White's interaction at the UFC 308 press conference
Dorobshokh Nabotov took Dana White by surprise when he took the mic and introduced himself to the UFC CEO. Nobotov, who seemed to be struggling with the English language, said that he holds a 9-0 record, presumably due to a linguistic barrier. He said to White:
"I am an undefeated athlete from Tajikistan, Dorobshokh Nabotov. Nine wins, zero losses. Dana, I don't have [a] question. I [came] here to fight on short notice. I [never had] a manager. I did all by myself. Please give me a chance, Dana! I hope to fight in the UFC, I'm ready. I wanna fight."
Following this, White asked a few questions and invited Nabotov on the stage. The duo exchanged pleasantries as White instructed him to meet someone, presumably to discuss the way forward.
Check out the interaction between Dana White and Dorobshokh Nabotov below (28:00):