“Chanco” Magomed Zaynukov continues to be unbeaten within the cage, however the loss that shapes him most occurred lengthy earlier than his UFC debut. In a latest interview clip shared by Red Corner MMA, the Dagestani light-weight spoke at size about his late father and the hole between household delight and spoken approval.
Magomed ‘Chanco’ Zaynukov Opens Up on Late Father’s Hidden Delight
“My father by no means actually praised me personally,” Zaynukov stated. “However he all the time praised me when he talked to his buddies or family members. He simply by no means did that to me in particular person. Proper after I transitioned to MMA, he handed away. I miss him a lot, much more so now that I’ve achieved a lot and made it to the very best league on the planet – the UFC. I miss the sensation of him being happy with me.”
The 31‑yr‑outdated Chanco explains that in his family, affection and respect had been communicated by way of what elders stated to others, not by way of direct reward. Solely after his father’s dying did he absolutely study, from family members and household buddies, how usually his achievements had been talked about in these conversations.
Zaynukov’s journey offers these phrases weight. Born on January 2, 1995, within the mountain village of Chanko in Dagestan, he took his nickname from his hometown and constructed his identify first in Muay Thai relatively than wrestling. He turned a a number of‑time IFMA world champion, WMC Intercontinental champion and 4‑time Russian champion, incomes the title of Honored Grasp of Sports activities of Russia in Muay Thai.
Solely in 2021 did he swap absolutely to combined martial arts. Since then he has put collectively an 8‑0 skilled report, with 5 wins by knockout or TKO and three by determination throughout promotions like Eagle FC, RCC, AMC Battle Nights and UAE Warriors earlier than incomes a Dana White’s Contender Sequence name‑up. In October 2025, he outworked Lucas Caldas over three rounds on Contender Sequence, securing a UFC contract and setting a brand new light-weight Contender Sequence mark for important strikes landed in line with official data and up to date reporting.
A lot of the early consideration round Zaynukov in North America centered on a misheard model of his “Chanco” nickname, which led to the “John Pork” meme. He has since requested followers to drop the joke, citing cultural and spiritual causes. Even teammates seen how briskly the highlight arrived. Islam Makhachev has stated the sudden recognition in the US shocked Zaynukov.
That context makes his feedback about his father really feel much less like a viral second and extra like a window into what’s driving him now. The factor he nonetheless seems for is a sense he can now not obtain straight – the quiet approval he believes his father would have proven in his personal approach.
