SOCIAL media sensation Hasbulla TURNED DOWN the chance to have front-row tickets for Wrestlemania.
Brands across the world have been trying to get a piece of the Russian TikToker ever since he went viral during the Covid pandemic.
The WWE recently saw an opportunity to boost their already sky-high social media numbers by inviting the Dagestani to Wrestlemania 39.
But the 20-year-old declined the invitation to attend the 'Showcase of the Immortals' as he already had plans to travel to Mecca for Ramadan.
He told The New York Times: “I have my own principles that I will not break for any money and fame,”
Hasbulla – who boasts 8.6million Instagram followers and has over 11 BILLION streams on TikTok – inked a deal with the UFC last October.
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And the Dagestani – who suffers from growth-hormone-deficiency-induced dwarfism – said: "The rumours are true.
"I have officially signed a deal to fight in the UFC! Details will be revealed by the end of the year.
"Thank you to @ufc, @danawhite, @khabib_nurmagomedov, @sungurov_usa, @justinozuna and everyone who helped make this dream become a reality."
UFC president Dana White said of Hasbulla, who is pals with retired and current lightweight champions Khabib Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev: “So I’m going to tell you something.
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"So the video that he sent sayingm ‘Dana White I’m coming to Abu Dhabi and UFC.'
"So when I posted that with me on the plane saying, ‘I’m coming’, it’s the biggest post that I’ve ever posted.
“I have 6.7 million followers on Instagram, 6.4 million people watched that video. Is that f***ing crazy?!”
Hasbulla found himself in hot water last month after he shared video footage of himself smacking his cat Barsik.
But he defended his actions in a clip shared on Twitter, saying: "Those brothers who think that I was beating the cat, pulled the ear, this and that. I pulled the ear gently.
"I know that people are waiting for the moment, if I write something wrong, to just attack me like this.
"Like, 'you do this, you do that'. She [Barsik] was misbehaving and I just pulled the ear and that's it.
"I love my cat more than you. If I didn't love the cat, I wouldn't have it at home. My most lovely animal is a cat.
"And when she disobeyed, I scolded her a little. And you are attacking me for nothing."
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