UFC 322 in New York wasn’t just chaos inside the cage but also in the hallways, crowd, and press conference theater. All week, Madison Square Garden felt like a pressure cooker, with every camera looking for a moment and every fighter walking through a wall of noise. Islam Makhachev may have been the main attraction, but the fans managed to direct the spotlight in a completely unexpected direction.

Because, in the midst of title-fight week and all of its tension, a meme entered the building and stole oxygen. Magomed Zaynukov carries the moniker “Chanko,” but his teammates’ fans persist in calling him “John Pork.” And well, this change of nickname turned him into a full-fledged phenomenon. Chants drowned out the entire room. And for a team that values discipline and silence, it was a kind of attention that may feel more dangerous than an opponent.

Khabib Nurmagomedov asks Magomed Zaynukov to stop chasing the noise

Islam Makhachev recently revealed that Magomed Zaynukov was taken aback by how strong the reaction was in the United States. It wasn’t just fans laughing; there was real recognition and a strong demand for him. And for someone who isn’t used to the Western fight-week frenzy, it got inside his head quickly.

Makhachev told RedCorner MMA in Russian that ‘Chanko’ was taken aback by the reception. “He was shocked by the way they recognized him in the US. Journalists were waiting in the lobby to interview him.” That kind of attention hits different when you’re from Dagestan, where hype is seen as poison rather than profit.

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The welterweight champion added that Magomed Zaynukov got carried away by the unexpected celebrity that came coupled with a cartoon pig name. And that’s when Khabib Nurmagomedov stepped in and did what ‘The Eagle’ usually does: he brought him back down to earth like a strict older brother.

Islam Makhachev described Nurmagomedov’s message as brutal and cold in the nicest possible way. “Khabib slowed him down. Khabib said, ‘Don’t chase the hype; let the hype chase you.’” The line that perfectly sums up how their team thinks.

It’s even more ironic since Magomed Zaynukov despises the meme. He’s asked fans to stop. Makhachev himself has attempted to silence chants in public. But the more they resist, the louder the crowd becomes—Gen Z irony thrives on discomfort, and “John Pork” is now its own little MMA universe. However, this fame also has its own perk, as he just got offered a huge pay for a matchup against an infamous opponent he has serious beef with.

Dillon Danis and ‘John Pork’ got offered a grappling match in Armenia

That’s the twist: meme fame is no longer just noise. It’s turning into actual opportunities. After UFC 322’s backstage chaos, Magomed Zaynukov’s name suddenly became valuable in ways no one imagined, and, being Danis, the beef was always going to be packaged into “content” somehow. Now, a promotion is trying to monetize it.

Hype Fighting, an Armenian promotion that has already brought in names like Arman Tsarukyan for grappling exhibitions, seized the opportunity quickly. They announced Dillon Danis for “Hype Armenia” and even leaned into his egotistical persona with dramatic quotes to stir some drama. “I’m the biggest name grappling has ever seen. You can’t find someone on my level. Send whoever you want. Just know you’re not getting them back.”

Then came the obvious pitch: Dillon Danis vs. “John Pork” in Armenia for a “neutral zone” grappling match, with Hype FC promising “record amounts of money for grappling.” It sounds like chaos wrapped in a contract, but the reality is messy. First is the fact that Danis would have a definite advantage in pure grappling, considering that Zaynukov is more of a Muay Thai weapon.

The second are the doubts over whether either man can truly travel and commit, especially with legal drama, lawsuits, and Danis’ tendency to pull out hanging over everything. So, from the looks of it, the big money fight will be avoiding ‘Chanko’ for now. But seeing his fame, there is no denying that there will be more such offers in the near future.