MMA star Zhalgas Zhumagulov reveals hilariously bizarre reason for copying Paddy Pimbletts hairst

UFC star Paddy Pimblett has made a massive impact since signing with MMA’s premier promotion in 2021.

‘The Baddy’ has picked up four consecutive wins, a legion of new fans, and a few out-of-pocket comments about his hair during his run in the UFC.

It now appears he’s influencing his peers, as flyweight fighter Zhalgas Zhumagulov has been spotted sporting the same hairstyle as Pimblett ahead of his ill-fated fight at UFC 288 this weekend.

The 34-year-old was looking to snap his three-fight losing skid when taking on undefeated 11-0 Brazilian prospect Rafael Estevam at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey on Saturday night.

“I hope this time I will have same judges Paddy had last time,” Zhumagulov tweeted alongside a picture of himself when fans started poking fun at his new look.

However, Zhumagulov's fight was called off on Friday when his opponent had weight-cutting issues, so his new hair did nothing to end his unlucky run.

The Kazakh striker has lost five fights since joining the UFC and four of his defeats have come via the judges’ scorecards – his last two losses have been by split decision.

Zhumagulov hoped copying Pimblett’s hairdo would get him in favour with the judges as the Liverpudlian got a controversial decision win over Jared Gordon at UFC 282 in December.

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The 28-year-old struggled in his toughest UFC test to date but all three cageside judges scored the fight 29-28 in his favour, causing uproar among some MMA fans.

UFC legends Joe Rogan and Nate Diaz were just two of the many prominent people who disagreed with the result, prompting Pimblett to call for a rematch.

However, it seems unlikely that he’ll be competing this year after undergoing surgery on a foot injury he suffered in the opening moments of his fight with Gordon.

‘Flash’ opted against waiting to run it back and instead fought long-time contender Bobby Green at a UFC event last month and ended up getting knocked out.

The American was initially hurt by an inadvertent head clash before being put to sleep when Green followed up with ground strikes and their fight was declared a no-contest.

It’s currently unclear when Pimblett will return or if a rematch with Gordon will happen but fans at least got to see his hairdo for a few days ahead of UFC 288.

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