Former UFC featherweight Zabit Magomedsharipov teased a possibility that he might just come out of retirement. The Russian left the promotion at the height of his career with a record of 6-0 in the UFC.
Magomedsharipov announced his retirement because he was suffering from health issues and was also constantly getting injured. Another reason was some of his opponents were refusing to fight him. However, former lightweight champion and his close friend Khabib Nurmagomedov recently revealed that he might return to the octagon.
Zabit Magomedsharipov vs Calvin Kattar 🔥pic.twitter.com/jHYopGcGuk
— MMA Fire 2.0 (@FireMMAVids) October 15, 2022
In a recent interview, ‘The Eagle’ talked about Magomedsharipov and said: “We are good friends and always talk, but we didn’t discuss his retirement. I think he left because of personal reasons. It’ll be interesting to talk to him about it.”
“Unlike me, he didn’t promise his mother. If you pique his interest, anything is possible. 50/50,” Nurmagomedov added.
Nurmagomedov jokingly said Magomedsharipov might return to action despite his departure because he didn’t promise his mother unlike him. Nurmagomedov also retired from the UFC at the height of his career.
Before leaving the promotion, ‘The Eagle’ amassed an overall record of 29-0 and was the UFC lightweight champion. He was one of the most dominant champions in the division and last fought Justin Gaethje at UFC 254.
After beating Gaethje, Nurmagomedov announced retirement and hasn’t competed ever since. ‘The Eagle’ has no intention of returning to action and has now become a full-time coach and is the mentor of the current lightweight champ, Islam Makhachev.
Zabit Magomedsharipov teases the fans with a UFC return
Apart from the hint from Nurmagomedov, Zabit Magomedsharipov (18-1) also hinted that he might just return to action. He recently shared a post on Instagram in which he can be seen holding a piece of paper with captions, “Contracts are no longer the same, of course.”
Fans speculated that the paper might be a contract from the UFC and he might come out of retirement soon. Magomedsharipov hasn’t competed since his decision victory over Calvin Kattar back in 2019. The Russian was close to getting a title shot but multiple issues led him to hang up his gloves.
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Before retiring, Magomedsharipov took the MMA world by storm with his entertaining and dominant fighting style. He was a very skilled fighter. His flashy striking and aggressive fighting skills quickly made him a fan favorite. Magomedsharipov’s last fight against Kattar was given the “Fight of the Night” award.
Mike Santiago vs Zabit Magomedsharipov (no commentary)🔥pic.twitter.com/6VYEH3PHUX
— MMA Fire 2.0 (@FireMMAVids) October 20, 2022
Magomedsharipov also underwent surgery and after that, he announced that he had begun training to become a doctor. However, the promotion is yet to announce an official statement regarding his comeback.
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