Yesterday afternoon in Abu Dhabi, the UFC 308 press conference took place ahead of arguably the most stacked card this year. Max Holloway, Ilia Topuria, Robert Whittaker, Khamzat Chimaev, and many more sat on either side of Dana White as fans and media eagerly threw out questions.
But one that question that stood out was from an opportunistic young man who bluntly asked Dana White for an opportunity to fight in the UFC. Claiming to have a perfect 9-0 record, the 25 year old man subsequently rushed the stage after getting a thumbs up from the UFC president. Watch the interaction below.
Whether or not you’re a fight fan, such audacity coupled with the positive result is perhaps the best example of “you miss every shot you don’t take” in recent memory. In an era where everyone gets participation trophies and competition is frowned upon, this is the prime example of why you should always shoot your shot – the worst thing that would’ve happened is that Dana said no; the best thing that can happen is that this man’s life changes forever.
Dana subsequently addressed the bold move in an interview with TMZ a few hours later, saying “That wasn’t set up, I didn’t know that guy, I didn’t know he was going to say that. We looked into him, it looks like he’s 7-0, he’s claiming he’s 9-0, you never know with these fights that happen in Russia.” See the full clip below.
Dana White gives an update on the fan who asked for a UFC contract at the #UFC308 press conference
He says he’s gonna have him fight in Korea on December 14th, and if he wins that fight he’ll sign him to the UFC ??
? @TMZ_Sports #UFC #MMApic.twitter.com/uckWOmNhtm
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) October 24, 2024
At the same press conference, Khamzat Chimaev, who made the permanent move to Dubai from Sweden (citing seasonal depression as one of the main causes), was asked about his training and living in Dubai, as well as his love for fast cars.
“Everything has been great in Dubai,” Chimaev said.
See the full clip below.
It was only a few years ago where Khamzat was literally living in the basement of his gym in Sweden, so one can assume his ambiguous response to what kind of cars he drives in Dubai secretly translates to several loud, very fast machines.
UFC 308 goes down tomorrow night at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.
