New Delhi, July 25 -- John Pork.

It arrived in October on Dana White's Contender Series, the show the UFC uses to test unranked prospects in front of a contract-holding audience. Zaynukov had just finished Lucas Caldas by unanimous decision at the UFC APEX in Las Vegas, earning his roster spot at 10-0 with a performance efficient enough to invite comparisons to the Dagestani grappling template he had spent years absorbing. Then Islam Makhachev, the reigning UFC lightweight champion and Zaynukov's trainer, grabbed the microphone to introduce his protege. The word Makhachev intended was "Chanko," a nickname Zaynukov carries at home in Dagestan. The word that came through the arena PA was "John Pork." The clip ran for two days across combat...