Dorobshokh Nabotov shot his shot when he asked Dana White for a UFC contract at a press conference in October, and it earned him a big opportunity.
However, Nabatov (8-1) came up short in earning what he asked for during a fight Saturday that could’ve secured him a UFC contract. Nabatov fought at Chan Sung Jung’s Z Fight Night 2 in Goyang, South Korea and lost to rising prospect Matheus Camilo (9-2), an Xtreme Couture product, by split decision.
It was Camilo who left with the UFC contract, White announced Saturday following UFC on ESPN 63.
“I picked the other guy (Camilo),” White said. “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 cornermen and crazy sh*t like that. It played out the way it should’ve.”
The fight was part of a “Dana White: Lookin’ for a Fight” episode, though White withdrew from attending the event live. White’s change in plans was due to South Korea’s recently-entered state of martial law, the promotion said in a written statement. White scouted the event remotely through a video call.
🚨 Dana White just gave a random dude with a 9-0 record in the press conference crowd a UFC contract – 25-year-old Dorobshokh Nabotov from Tajikistan, said he competes in the lightweight division. pic.twitter.com/g85Kci8CEQ
— Wired_In (@GetWired_In) October 25, 2024
The loss was the first of Nabatov’s career. From Tajikistan, Nabatov competed mostly in Russia prior to Saturday’s fight.
As for Camilo, he extends his winning streak to six.
Worth the trip. Matheus Camilo gets it done at #ZFN02 pic.twitter.com/G3z201iR0N
— UFC FIGHT PASS (@UFCFightPass) December 14, 2024
