Zabit Magomedsharipov was once seen as one of the most dangerous rising stars in the UFC, but years after walking away from the sport, the former featherweight contender now believes the promotion never wanted him to become champion in the first place.
During his run in the UFC, Zabit Magomedsharipov built a reputation as a future titleholder thanks to his creative striking, elite grappling, and dominant performances inside the Octagon. After defeating Calvin Kattar in a main event back in 2019, many expected the Russian standout to fight for UFC gold next.
Instead, Zabit disappeared from competition before officially announcing his retirement in 2022 following a long battle with health complications and repeated delays to his return.
Now, in one of his most revealing interviews since retiring, Zabit Magomedsharipov claimed the UFC repeatedly broke promises made to him during his push toward a title shot.
“There were a lot of reasons why I retired,” Zabit said during an interview with ACB Jiu-Jitsu. “It just never worked out. I wanted to fight. The fights got postponed three or four times. We just couldn’t come to an agreement somehow.
“I was cutting weight, going through full training camps… Then you arrive two or three weeks before the fight and they tell you, ‘He’s injured.’ That happened to me like five times. I got tired. How much can a person take?”
Much of the frustration centered around his repeatedly canceled fight against Yair Rodriguez, which was booked several times before falling apart due to injuries and other issues.
According to Zabit Magomedsharipov, UFC officials had privately assured him that if Rodriguez pulled out again, he would automatically receive a title shot. However, he claims that promise was never honored.
“We had some kind of agreement with them that if he pulled out a third time, they’d automatically give me a title shot,” Zabit explained. “Those conversations happened, but the third time they found a lot of excuses again.
“They just didn’t want to make me champion, and I know why too.”
The former UFC contender then made a bold claim about why he believes the promotion hesitated to put another Russian fighter on top of the sport at the time.
“Because at that time there were already a lot of Russian champions,” Zabit said. “Khabib Nurmagomedov was champion then, Petr Yan too. They didn’t like the idea of a third champion being from Russia.”
Zabit Magomedsharipov initially pointed to ongoing immune system issues as the main reason behind his retirement. However, his latest comments suggest frustration with the UFC matchmaking process also played a major role in his decision to walk away from MMA.
Despite his accusations, UFC CEO Dana White previously claimed the promotion offered Zabit an immediate title shot if he chose to return following his lengthy hiatus.
Still, the former featherweight contender appears content with life outside the cage for now. Zabit retired with an impressive 18-1 professional record, including 13 finishes, and many fans still wonder what could have happened if he had continued his UFC journey.
For a fighter once viewed as a future superstar, the story of Zabit Magomedsharipov remains one of the biggest “what ifs” in modern MMA history.
