'Iranian Hulk' to make bare knuckle boxing debut

A towering body builder who once threatened to join the fight against Islamic State is believed to have signed a contract to become a bare knuckle boxer.

Iranian Sajad Gharibi stands at 1.85 metres tall and weighs in at a colossal 178 kilograms.

The 27-year-old's monstrous frame appears almost unreal, and could cast a shadow over several NRL front rowers.

Known as the 'Iranian Hulk', Gharibi boasts almost half a million followers on Instagram and has claimed on multiple occasions he's signed on to fight other super-heavyweights like Romario Dos Santos Alves and Brian Ortega in MMA competitions.

While none of those fights have come to fruition, this weekend Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship claimed to have signed the gigantic wrestler on for his debut in 2020.

"We're going to do a show entitled 'USA vs. Iran: World War III,' " BKFC President David Feldman said.

"He is literally our biggest signing we've ever had.

"He's going to make his way over to Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship, he's gonna make a home here, and we expect really, really big things from The Iranian Hulk."

Also known as "The Persian Hercules", the 24-year-old's brutal fitness regime incorporates lifting up to 175 kilograms of weight.

Owing much of his size to "genetics," Gharibi has reportedly had to deny rumours he was the notorious executioner for Islamic State known as "The Bulldozer".

He offered to become a volunteer soldier with Iranian forces to wage war against Islamic State extremists in Syria in 2016.

"I'm a defender of my country, first. I want to thank General Soleimani and all the soldiers who lost their lives in Syria. They are my heroes,' he said in a video.