Hasbulla Magomedov vs. Abdu Rozik

Overview

Hasbulla Magomedov vs. Abdu Rozik refers to an MMA fight that is suspected to have happened on May 18th, 2021, between Russian fighters Hasbulla Magomedov, aka "Mini Khabib," and Tajik fighter Abdu Rozik, both teenagers with medical complications that make them appear much younger than they are. The fight was officiated by MMA fighter Asxab Tamaev. The event was criticized by Russia's Dwarf Athletic Association for being exploitative. A viral press conference for the fight was held, but the footage has yet to be released.

Background

Hasbulla Magomedov

Hasbulla Magomedov, also known as "Mini Khabib" on social media for his resemblance to MMA fighter Kabib Nurmagomedov, is an 18-year-old Russian blogger with an unknown genetic disorder that makes him look like a 5-year-old boy. He began posting comedic content on Instagram^[1] in November 2020, and gained a significant fanbase over the next six months, with over 220,000 followers as of May 2021. He is also known as "General Vgorode."

Hasbulla gained a significant number of fans through TikTok starting around April 2021 as users began to repost clips of him and use them in various memes (examples shown below, left and right).

Some of Hasbulla's most popular content sees him impersonating MMA fighter Kabib Nurmagomedov, who some people believe he is related to (shown below). This led many to call Hasbulla "Mini Kabib." Hasbulla has notably leaned into fighting-themed content, often seen shadowboxing, fighting and training.

In April, footage of Nurmagomedov and Hasbulla having dinner and taking photos together began to circulate (shown below). The two became friends, and Hasbulla was soon inspired to train to become an MMA fighter.

Abdu Rozik

Abdu Rozik is a famous 17-year-old singer from Tajikistan who had untreated rickets as a child, causing him to stop growing. His music career is supported largely by rapper Baron, who produces and posts Rozik's videos to the Avlod Media YouTube channel (example shown below). Rozik gained a significant following due to his music, with over 787,000 followers on Instagram^[2] as of May 2021.

Hasbulla vs. Rozik

On May 15th, Hasbulla posted an image of himself squaring up against Rozik to Instagram,^[3] announcing that they would be fighting (shown below). Over the next few days, Hasbulla, Rozik and Russian MMA fighter Asxab Tamaev, the officiant to the fight, promoted it, garnering viral interest.

On May 17th, Tamaev posted a 37-minute long pre-fight press conference between the two in which they argue and physically fight a number of times to YouTube,^[4] garnering over 11 million views in 10 days (shown below).

Allegedly, the fight took place on May 18th,^[7] however, no footage from it has been released, leaving this an unconfirmed rumor.

Notable Developments

Criticism From Russia's Dwarf Athletic Association

The fight received a significant amount of criticism, with some seeing it as exploitative. The fight attracted particular criticism from Russia's Dwarf Athletic Association. The head of the association spoke to Russian publication Gazeta^[5] about the event, calling it "unethical" and "wrong," saying, "It's not even like a show fight — they get paid a lot of money and it’s a show to make people laugh. There’s nothing serious about this, this isn’t sport." RT^[6] reported on the controversy the same day.

Notable Posts

On May 25th, 2021, Twitter^[8] fan page @Hasbullah posted a compilation of Hasbullah footage, garnering over 152,000 likes and 31,000 retweets in three days (shown below).

Search Interest

External References