Sajad Gharibi, dubbed the Iranian Hulk and Persian Hercules, is a sight to behold. 6'2" tall and weighing 392 pounds, this mountain of a man has gained a huge following on social media. He shares pictures of his workout and daily routine on Instagram and they are lapped up by his fans online.
Unsurprisingly, there was a lot of speculation about the possibility of this man taking to combat sports. In April this year, he put out a message saying that he will be fighting a Brazilian fighter soon. Most people assumed that he was referring to a man called Brazilian Hulk whose real name is Romario dos Santos Alves.
But the much-anticipated showdown between the two giant men has come to nought as dos Santos Alves has pulled out of the bout. Besides, it was never clarified as to where the two men are going to fight, in a MMA promotion or some other form of combat sports.
While his rumoured opponent may have decided against taking to the fighting ring, the Iranian has moved forward and finalised his plans. The forum on which he would be making his professional debut will be Bare Knuckle Fighting Championships (BKFC). It's an American MMA promotion and would introduce the 'Persian Hercules' next year.
Currently, Gharibi is a powerlifter. It remains to be seen whether he would be able to go from a solitary examination of strength to a duel against an equally motivated opponent easily. But the very spectacle of a man-mountain asserting his physical dominance over a rival would excite a large number of people and bring in massive viewership.
Taking to Instagram, the 27-year-old announced to the world in April: "I'm finally accepting my first professional fight from a Brazilian fighter before 2020. I'm ready for the challenge." However, when the fight didn't materialise, he launched into an angry attack on the 'Brazilian Hulk' for not going through with the fight.
"Having accepted his challenge, I soon realised that this coward Brazilian Romario refused to fight with me in the cage. I should have known he wouldn't have the guts to face me."
But Gharibi's desire for a fight will finally come true. While it is yet to be decided who the opponent would be, the president of BKFC, David Feldman has announced that the fight would be entitled 'USA vs. Iran: World War III.'
"We're going to do a show entitled 'USA vs. Iran: World War III.' [Gharibi] is literally our biggest signing we've ever had," Feldman said.
