Ahead of UFC 322, Islam Makhachev’s friend Magomed Zaynukov rose to massive popularity because of a misheard nickname. The former lightweight champion made his teammate’s moniker ‘Chanko’ sound like “John Pork” in Demetrious Johnson’s video, generating a wave of memes that seemed like harmless comedy for a while. But now, the bit that was supposed to bring fun has started taking a negative turn in Zaynukov’s life.

At the pre-fight press conference, fans chanted ‘Chanko’s viral nickname, which prompted an appeal from the former 155 lbs kingpin, “he doesn’t like ‘John Pork’. He is the guy who has helped me with all my camps recently, so he is going to be a great lightweight.” Still, fans kept filling Zaynukov’s Instagram comment section with his viral new nickname. Now, Islam Makhachev revealed that his teammate might actually turn off his social media account’s comments because of the nonstop spamming. 

Islam Makhachev reveals his teammate disabled comments after the John Pork meme turned disturbing 

In a Russian interview with Verdict MMA, the host asked, “Do you know who’s the author of the John Pork meme? Who’s responsible for it appearing?” Makhachev answered, “It’s me. I sent his photo to the real John Pork.” Although the former lightweight champ didn’t elaborate on who the actual John Pork is, he became familiar with the Mighty Mouse video where the meme originated. Then he revealed how things have been getting a little out of hand for his teammate.

Then Makhachev explained in the video, “Brother, I say Chanko. This is wrong. His native village name is Chanko. He has had that nickname his whole life. John Pork is the wrong thing, guys. Don’t tell him, you make him upset. He already wants to turn off the comments section.” However, as of now, Zaynukov’s Instagram comments section remains open for interaction. But who knows? He might actually restrict it if things take a turn for the worse.

Yet, at this point, the Dagestani icon has made quite a few follow-up appeals to the fans, which shows that his teammate has definitely been affected by being called “John Pork.” Although Makhachev has been vocal about his teammate not liking the sudden popularity from this nickname, Zaynukov hasn’t spoken much about the issue himself. 

That’s mostly because the former 155 lbs king has been making the appeals on his behalf, but it doesn’t mean Zaynukov hasn’t expressed his own frustration about the situation. In fact, Zaynukov has previously asked fans not to use this viral nickname as well. 

Magomed Zaynukov had already asked fans to stop calling him by his viral nickname

Magomed Zaynukov, holding an 8-0 record, got the chance to prove his mettle at Dana White’s Contender Series last month. In pursuit of a UFC contract, ‘Wild Chanko’ faced Lucas Caldas in Week 9’s main event and earned a unanimous decision victory. However, after the Russians’ triumph, questions about his UFC potential came up, but as expected, his viral fan-given nickname took center stage, something he clearly didn’t appreciate.

At the DWCS Week 9 post-fight press conference, Zaynukov said, “No John Pork. Chanco. People get a little confused between ‘John Pork’ and ‘Chanco.’ ‘John Pork’ is like a cartoon pig. I’ve said so many times, it’s not ‘John Pork,’ it’s ‘Chanco.’ So people don’t get confused, so the fans that support me understand I’m not ‘John Pork,’ I’m ‘Chanco.’ If possible, please don’t call me that. I don’t like it.”

The actual John Pork is an internet meme persona that originated in Italy, with a loose connection to another popular cartoon series, South Park. It has the face of a pig and the body of a regular human male, which gives the character a strange, humanlike element. With that in mind, the Russian fighter didn’t want to associate himself with a cartoon character like that, especially when he already carries a nickname tied to his heritage.

Still, despite all these appeals, the wave of John Pork memes continues—and to be honest, it has only grown even more popular. That said, do you think this entire comedic situation is getting a little out of hand? Let us know in the comments section below.