The 'Iranian Hulk' Sajad Gharibi has shown off his physique in a rare social media video after fans claimed he had edited his photos to look more impressive.
Social media star Gharibi has amassed over 1.1million followers on Instagram by sharing photos of his bodybuilding physique, but there has long been a theory among fans that he edited pictures. He has disputed this by sharing videos of his cardio training ahead of his first boxing match against Martyn Ford next month, although some commenters still aren't convinced.
Taking to YouTube to show off his physique and workouts in short videos, Gharibi displayed what appeared to be a trimmed down figure from his days as a gargantuan bodybuilder, with just over a month to go until his fight.
One commenter joked "I believe in you, you are master of photoshop Bro," while another suggested "brother, why not make a movie without clothes to resolve the misunderstanding."
Gharibi and Ford, who is known as the world's scariest man, squared off in Dubai last month for the first time, but it was hard to gauge the bodybuilder's physique under multiple layers of clothes. The pair were set to fight on April 2 at London's O2 Arena, but the event was pushed back to April 30 due to injuries on the undercard.
Who wins on April 30, the Iranian Hulk or Martyn Ford? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!
In an old video posted to Instagram, the 30-year-old appeared to address the controversy around allegedly photoshopping his pictures by posting a video of him bending a frying pan. He captioned the post, which was viewed over four million times; "Basically, I am not very good at showing off in cyberspace, but I am ready for any power challenge, I count the moments to crush my opponent in the cage."
He and Ford's face-off didn't go as planned, with the pair getting into a scuffle which saw the Brit handily shrug off his rival's efforts at landing a takedown. He apologised for the incident in a later video, saying: "I came here with my own money and capital without any financial support and without a coach. As you can see in the video, he publicly shocked me and I lost my balance.
"I apologise to all the people of Iran for this, but know that this is not the end of the story, and I will say the main thing in the competition, I promise. The Iranian team was told before the conference that they only face each other, and that you have no right to hit your opponent."
