Who’s UFC star John Polk? Magomed Zainukov grew to become well-known earlier than he even set foot within the UFC, nevertheless it wasn’t for the explanation he needed it to be. The Dagestani light-weight has emerged as an unlikely viral sensation after a easy mispronunciation earned him the nickname “John Polk,” a nickname that has haunted him like an undesirable shadow since late 2024.
Who’s John Polk? Every part about UFC fighter “Wild Chanko” Magomed Zainukov
Now making ready for his official UFC debut, Zainukov finds himself within the unusual place of managing memes whereas attempting to show he is a critical fighter.
Born on January 2, 1995, Zainukov hails from Chanko, a small village in Dagestan, Russia. His ties to his hometown are so deep that his precise nickname is “Wild Chanco.” The title displays each the title of his village and the aggressive preventing model he has cultivated over time competing in numerous worldwide promotions. Not like many fighters from Dagestan who forge careers in wrestling and sambo, Zainukov rose to prominence as a striker. His document earlier than becoming a member of the UFC was 8-0, with 5 of his wins coming by knockout or technical knockout.
His path to the UFC took him by means of Eagle FC, the UAE Warriors, and Dana White’s Contender Sequence, the place he constructed an undefeated document whereas displaying high-volume hanging and spectacular cardio. His hitting numbers communicate for themselves. He lands roughly 15.67 important strikes per minute with 60% accuracy, however absorbs solely 4.80 strikes per minute. These indicators counsel that the fighter has each offensive firepower and defensive instincts.
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Nevertheless, this meme overshadowed the whole lot till his look on the Contender Sequence in October 2025. Its origins date again to Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov College teammate Islam Makhachev, who launched him to Demetrius “Mighty Mouse” Johnson throughout a coaching camp video. Makhachev known as Zainukov by his precise nickname, “Chanko,” however his Dagestani accent made the phrases bear a hanging resemblance to “John Polk.” The web did not miss this chance. Followers captured the second and mixed it with an present meme that includes the spherical pig animated character.
What began as a single mishearing exploded throughout social media. Zeynukov’s Instagram grew to become flooded with pig emojis, prank feedback, and spam emails from followers saying, “John Polk!!!” It is beneath all posts. Regardless of his apparent discomfort, the extra he requested followers to make use of the right nickname, the extra the web began leaning into the joke. By October 2025, Zainukov publicly requested folks to cease calling him that and even threatened to disable Instagram feedback fully.
The absurdity reached its apex when UFC 322 befell in November 2025. At an official press convention, Makhachev publicly implored followers to cease calling Zeynukov “John Polk”, reminding everybody that “Chunko” was his actual nickname and that he hated this widespread title. What was the response from the group? The venue erupted with loud cheers and chants of “JOHN PORK!!!”
Zainukov managed to attraction the viewers together with his jokes, however his dissatisfaction with the state of affairs appears justified. He by no means needed this specific model of fame. His nickname refers to his hometown, has cultural weight, and represents his identification as a fighter. As an alternative, the web renamed it after a cartoon pig as a result of there was one phrase accented with a vaguely similar-sounding accent in a coaching footage clip.
John Polk began Instagram on September 24, 2018 as a self-proclaimed “vogue mannequin” from Palermo, Italy. However this is what’s unusual. John Polk is a computer-generated digital influencer, basically an AI-created character depicting a person with a human physique and a photorealistic pig’s head. The account featured AI-generated selfies of an anthropomorphic pig-man posing at vacationer locations akin to Doune Citadel and the Isle of Skye in Scotland. The identification of the creator was intentionally saved a thriller, which solely added to the unrealistic nature of the account.
It stays to be seen whether or not the nickname “John Polk” will ultimately disappear as Zainukov racks up wins within the UFC, or if it’ll grow to be a everlasting fixture in his profession. What began as a misheard nickname grew to become one of the memorable memes in MMA, turning the undefeated prospect right into a fan favourite in a single day, earlier than he even landed a single official UFC punch.
Zainukov’s precise talent set and preventing potential will finally outline his profession. However the man recognized on the web as “John Polk” has already secured a novel place in MMA historical past by changing into an unintentional celeb with nothing greater than an accent and a confused web.
