There’s more to Magomed Zaynukov than crowd brawls and botched nicknames. ‘Wild Chanco’ fought his way into the UFC through Dana White’s Contender Series. But behind the knockouts and nicknames sits a quieter story, one that has nothing to do with rankings or records. Behind the babyface we are used to seeing in Islam Makhachev’s training clips, there is a grieving son.

In an emotional clip shared by Red Corner MMA on X, the unbeaten UFC newcomer opened up about the one person who never got to see his biggest achievements — his father. Zaynukov is starting to feel the weight of success, and his father is not there to share it with him.

“My father never really praised me personally,” he said. “But he always praised me when he talked to his friends or relatives. He just never did that to me in person.”

That dynamic stayed with him into adulthood. And then, just as his fighting life truly began, everything changed.

“Right when I transitioned to MMA, he passed away,” Zaynukov revealed. “I miss him so much, even more so now that I’ve achieved so much and made it to the best league in the world — the UFC. I miss the feeling of him being proud of me.”

It’s a line that hits harder than any post-fight soundbite. Because it exposes a truth many fighters never articulate: success can amplify absence just as much as it rewards effort. The higher Magomed Zaynukov climbs, the more obvious the empty seat becomes.

That context matters when you look at how quickly his career has unfolded. Born on January 2, 1995, in the Dagestani village of Chanko, the origin of his real nickname ‘Wild Chanco’, Zaynukov didn’t grow up as a lifelong wrestler. His foundation was Muay Thai. But like many from the region, he eventually found his way into Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov’s legendary camp, where elite wrestling, pressure, and discipline are non-negotiable.

He made his professional MMA debut in 2021. By 2025, he was 6-0, with five of those wins coming via first-round stoppage. Training alongside names like Islam Makhachev, Usman Nurmagomedov, and Gadzhi Rabadanov sharpened his style quickly, and it showed.

Some of that attention came with baggage. The nickname ‘Chanco’ was famously misheard as ‘John Pork’ after Islam Makhachev said it on camera, spawning an internet meme that stuck. While many fans leaned into it playfully, Zaynukov made it clear he didn’t like the nickname and asked not to be called that, especially given the cultural and religious implications.

But that viral label often overshadowed the human story underneath. However, according to Islam Makhachev, Magomed Zaynukov’s popularity has reached such heights that it even required Khabib Nurmagomedov to step in!

Khabib Nurmagomedov had to tell Magomed Zaynukov not to “chase the hype”

The surge didn’t just catch fans off guard; it caught Magomed Zaynukov himself by surprise. According to Islam Makhachev, the attention around “Chanco” grew so fast that it briefly pulled him off balance. Speaking to Red Corner MMA, the UFC welterweight champion explained how his teammate reacted the first time he truly felt the weight of American MMA hype.

“He used to be a humble kid, now he’s not. He himself was shocked by the way they recognized him in the U.S.,” Makhachev said. “Journalists were waiting in the lobby to get an interview.”

For a fighter who came from a small village in Dagestan and built his career quietly, that moment hit differently. So what happens when a previously unknown prospect suddenly becomes a name? When the cameras start lining up before the fights even begin?

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Makhachev admitted things started drifting,  saying, “He went a bit too far, and Khabib slowed him down. He said, ‘Chanco, don’t chase the hype; the hype has to chase you.’ So we slowed him down on time.”

That single line says everything about how this camp operates. Success isn’t denied. It’s controlled. The goal isn’t viral moments; it’s longevity. So, for all the noise around Magomed Zaynukov right now with the memes, the nicknames, the sudden attention, this story ultimately lands somewhere much quieter.

At its core, it’s about a fighter learning to carry success without the one voice he wanted to hear most. Every win, every headline, every step closer to the top comes with a reminder that his father isn’t there to see it, to acknowledge it in the way Magomed Zaynukov always hoped for, even if it would have been subtle.