Chael Sonnen has revealed how he thought internet sensation Hasbulla was a ranked UFC fighter after being called out by Rafael Fiziev in August.
Surging UFC lightweight Fiziev jokingly called out Hasbulla after his decision win against Bobby Green at UFC 265.
"Hasbulla, Hasbulla. You’ve taken everything I worked for in the UFC. If you want money fight, you fight with me, bro," Fiziev said.
TikTok star Hasbulla - who suffers from dwarfism - is good friends with former UFC champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and is often referred to as 'Mini Khabib'.
Sonnen in the UFC for four years challenging twice for the middleweight title and once for the light heavyweight title.
And 'The American Gangster' revealed how he thought Fiziev's call-out was legitimate until he realised who Hasbulla was.
"In his [Rafael Fiziev] moment in front of a sold-out arena. On a platform, on a microphone, he calls out Hasbulla," Sonnen said on his YouTube channel.
"I don't know what a Hasbulla is when Fiziev says it. But, I was excited, I was excited to go into the rankings and look up who Hasbulla is because I just became a Fiziev fan.
"I want to see Fiziev's next fight. He was screaming into the camera, Fiziev's got these muscles, he's got these muscles and this intensity in his eyes.
"It was one of the great callouts and then I find that Hasbulla is a child, that it was a joke. Now, I'm p*****!"
Hasbulla attracted the attention of fight fans for his rivalry with fellow celebrity Abdu Rozik, a talented singer from Tajikstan who also has dwarfism.
A fight between the pair has been discussed since their 'press conference' and staredown in May with Chechen promoter Ashab Tamaev claiming he has sold the fight to the UFC.
Who would win in a fight between Hasbulla and Abdu Rozik? Let us know your prediction in the comments section below
Hasbulla claims he is 3'2 and weighs just 36lbs whilst Rozik is the same height but says he weighs 38lbs.
UFC president Dana White revealed the amount of attention he received on social media after posing that Hasbulla would be attending at UFC 267 last month.
"So when I posted that with me on the plane saying I'm coming, it's the biggest post I've ever posted," White said.
"I have 6.7 million followers on Instagram, and 6.4 million people watched that video. That's f*****g crazy.
"It was incredible. I love the kid. Is there more than a zero percent chance [that he fights in the UFC]? Yes!"
Whilst White has refused to rule out Hasbulla fighting in the UFC, he fears the Russian's dad will stop him from competing against rival Rozik.
