One of the biggest featherweight prospects, Zabit Magomedsharipov had an unfulfilling end to his UFC career. Having called time on his career before reaching the top, Zabit is considered one of the biggest ‘what ifs‘ in the sport. Although he only had a brief stint in the UFC, the Russian managed to leave his mark on the sport.
A flashy, acrobatic, and aggressive fighter, there was a lot of hype behind Zabit (18-1, 6-0 UFC) during his time in the UFC. Interestingly, former lightweight champ Khabib Nurmagomedov also hailed Zabit as the best featherweight fighter in the world. Thus, many were taken aback when Zabit announced his retirement from the sport in early 2021, aged 30.
With best Featherweight in the World 🌎 @zabeast_mma pic.twitter.com/Kh4Ym72JoZ
— khabib nurmagomedov (@TeamKhabib) April 5, 2021
Last year, Zabit revealed in an interview with URF Media that he was offered the chance to make his return to the UFC. With a shortage of opponents for Alexander Volkanovski at the time, the promotion seemingly looked to bring back Zabit, offering him a title shot on his return. In the past, the fighter had asked for the same, yet saw his request denied. Now, despite getting what he asked for, the fighter refused to come out of retirement.
Why did Zabit Magomedsharipov retire from the UFC?
According to Zabit Magomedsharipov, numerous factors led to his decision to retire from the sport. As mentioned previously, the UFC not keeping their promise to give him a title shot was one of the reasons Zabit felt discouraged. Notably, the fighter also claimed that he was not offered fights for around 2 years, and seemingly kept in limbo.
Here, it must be mentioned that health and religious issues further affected his decisions. Owing to serious injuries and illnesses, the 33-year-old struggled with recovery. Thus, as time passed, Zabit’s desire to fight subsided. Although he did drop a few hints of a potential return, Zabit never truly seemed to want to make a comeback.
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All things considered, the fighter’s circumstances dissuaded him from wanting to fight any further. Other than Zabit’s own health issues, he seemingly wished for a career change as well. On Instagram, Zabit Magomedsharipov revealed that he was undergoing medical studies and was in the process of becoming a doctor. For now, Zabit still posts workout videos of him boxing and hitting the pads on social media.
Why Zabit Magomedsharipov would not have made for a dominant UFC champion
With his potential never truly realized, many have often wondered how Zabit Magomedsharipov would stack up against the big names in the featherweight division today. Since his last fight took place in 2019, it is very difficult to gauge where his place would be in the division today. Thus, we can only look at his biggest wins and try to make a case for or against him.
For the most part, Zabit’s biggest career wins came against Calvin Kattar and Jeremy Stephens. Whilst Stephens went 0-3-1 since losing to Zabit, Kattar has gone 3-4 somehow managing to stay in the top 10. That said, the division has since seen the emergence of numerous top contenders. With the likes of Movsar Evloev, Yair Rodriguez, Brian Ortega, and the ever-present Max Holloway still in action, it’s difficult to see Zabit having a chance.
Moreover, with Alexander Volkanovski and now Ilia Topuria on top of the division, each fighters have something or the other that outweighs what the Russian has to offer in return. With his durability and chin never truly tested, or his infamously poor cardio exposed, it is not possible to make a case for Zabit Magomedsharipov as being able to be a dominant champion or even getting to that spot in the first place.