Russian influencer Hasbulla Magomedov has apologised after he and several of his friends were reportedly arrested by police for “dangerous driving”.
The 3ft 3in TikTok star and UFC fighter is said to have been arrested in his home town of Dagestan, Russia, after he and a group of friends drove into the street and obstructed other drivers while celebrating a friend’s wedding.
Hasbulla, 20, was among a group taken into custody over administrative violations, according to local reports.
A video posted by Dagestan’s Internal Affairs Ministry shows a group of vehicles, including one containing Magomedov, blocking traffic and doing doughnuts on a main road. Magomedov himself was not driving.
One of the cars is later seen with a large scratch along the side.
Magomedov later said on social media: “We decided to hype it up a bit... this will not happen again, we apologise. We played around a bit and had to answer for it.
“It wasn’t my car and I wasn’t behind the wheel.”
But who is Magomedov and how is he linked to the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) community?
Who is Hasbulla Magomedov?
Hasbulla Magomedov is a 20-year-old Russian social-media star. Now boasting more than nine million Instagram followers, Hasbulla began posting on TikTok in 2020, when his videos went viral.
He has a medical condition that means he’s just three feet three inches tall and has a high-pitched voice.
Magomedova is from the Republic of Dagestan, where he met now-retired UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov. Their friendship even earned Magomedov the nickname Mini Khabib.
This friendship resulted in Magomedov becoming associated with the international Ultimate Fighting Championship UFC community generally, with fighters like Nurmagomedov and Volkanovski appearing in his videos.
While on tour in Australia in August, Magomedov made videos with Volkanovski as well as NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal. Magomedov’s videos saw him pranking both men.
