Why Logan Paul Is Dedicating Mayweather Fight To Hasbulla — 'The Fiercest Warrior Of Our Time'
Paul even said he wants Hasbulla to walk him out to the ring.
Amid preparations for his upcoming boxing match against Floyd Mayweather, YouTuber Logan Paul is facing questions about his rumored relationship with DJ, model and influencer Charly Jordan.
More specifically, Paul was recently asked if it's true that he is dedicating this Sunday night's fight to Jordan.
Beyond what it revealed about his relationship status, Paul's answer left many (read: me, at least) perplexed.
"I'm gonna set the record straight right now," Paul said. "That is not true. I'm dedicating the fight to Hezbollah, the greatest and fiercest warrior of our time. As long as i channel my inner Hezbollah, I do believe i can bring home a victory in this fight."
Wait... did Logan Paul just say he is dedicating the fight to... Hezbollah?
For those who don't know, Hezbollah, which means "Party of God" in Arabic, is a political and militant Shi'ite Muslim group based in Lebanon that is considered by the US and other Western nations to be a terrorist group.
And while that is the word some of us (read: me and also the closed captioning on YouTube) thought he said, no, it is not.
What Paul actually said was this: "I'm dedicating the fight to Hasbulla, the greatest and fiercest warrior of our time. As long as i channel my inner Hasbulla, do believe i can bring home a victory in this fight."
Who is Hasbulla?
The warrior Paul is referring to is Hasbulla Magomedov, reported to be an 18-year-old blogger and TikTok sensation from Makhachkala, Russia.
Hasbulla is believed to have been born with a genetic disorder known as GHD (Growth Hormone Deficiency), sometimes referred to as dwarfism or pituitary dwarfism, which, according to Johns Hopkins, results in "abnormally short stature with normal body proportions."
Hasbulla himself is just 3 feet, four inches tall and is said to weigh approximately 35 lbs. For reference, if looking at a typical growth chart used by pediatricians in the US, his size equals that of an average 5-year-old male.
The teen has built a loyal fan base after his MMA fighting style videos emerged on TikTok over the past year.
He now has 3.2 million followers on TikTok, 321,000 followers on (what appears to be his) Instagram, nearly 205,000 followers on his Twitter fan page account and his own dedicated subreddit, r/Hasbulla.
Fans dubbed him "Mini-Khabib" — an affectionate reference to 32-year-old Russian MMA fighter Khabib Nurmagomedov, who has even posted a video of his "mini-me" on Instagram.
Why is Logan Paul dedicating the Mayweather fight to Hasbulla Magomedov?
Paul is apparently a huge Hasbulla fan.
During a pre-fight press conference, he professed his love for the Russian teen he called "the fiercest warrior the world's ever seen."
"I know as long as I channel my inner Hasbulla, the greatest fighter of our time, we are going to get the job done," Paul said, adding, "I want him to walk out with me. Give me Hasbulla!"
An honored Hasbulla replied on Twitter, saying ""I like to thank [Logan Paul] for being a fan of Hasbulla as well, and announce that as a Hasbulla community we support him in his fight against Mayweather (You love Hasbulla, we love you)."
There is some controversy surrounding Hasbulla.
As might be expected regarding most anyone in Paul's circle, there is some controversy surrounding Hasbulla's potential career as a fighter.
Promos produced by Chechen blogger and MMA fighter Askhab Tamaev announced an upcoming match between Hasbulla and Russian singer Abdu Rozik, who is said to be 17-years old and of a similar size due to rickets.
But Uliana Podpalnaya, head of Russia's Dwarf Athletic Association, says a fight between the two would be unethical.
"It's not even like a show fight," she said. "[Magomedov and Rozik] 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. This is unethical, wrong, from my point of view."
Honestly, given the lack of subtitles, verification badges and other information available on social media, it is truly difficult to know for certain what Hasbulla's situation is.
That said, we're certainly rooting for him!
Deputy Editor Arianna Jeret, MA/MSW, has been featured in Cosmopolitan, The Huffington Post, Yahoo Style, MSN, Fox News, Bustle, Parents and more. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram for more.