LOS ANGELES – In case you haven’t heard, Bellator has a Magomedsharipov of its own.
The 20-year-old brother of UFC featherweight contender Zabit Magomedsharipov, Khasan Magomedsharipov makes his promotional debut Saturday at Bellator 263.
Although Magomedsharipov (5-0 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) is one of the youngest fighters on the promotion’s roster, it doesn’t mean he hasn’t waited a long time for the day to come when he signed his name on the dotted line of a major promotional contract.
The same year Khasan Magomedsharipov was born, a 10-year-old Zabit began his mixed martial arts journey in wrestling and sanda. Naturally, Khasan looked up to his big brother and wanted to be like him – an admiration he still carries with him to this day.
“He is a huge role model for me. I’ve been looking up to him since I was born, since Day 1,” Magomesharipov told MMA Junkie on Tuesday. “All my life, I was looking and Zabit was doing MMA, mixed martial arts, and was into the fighting style. I always wanted to be like my older brother, like Zabit. Even though I started with sanda and not with pure MMA, I always knew that I would transition to MMA and be an MMA fighter like my older brother.”
It’s hard for Magomedsharipov to imagine what his career would be like without the influence of his brother, but he thinks it’s safe to say things wouldn’t have panned out like they have.
“It definitely makes my life and my career easier,” Magomedsharipov said. “He gives me great advice all the time he knew me, from A to Z. Definitely, Zabit is very valuable in my life.”
While the benefits are immeasurably positive, there has been an extra added pressure that comes with bearing such a famous surname. While he struggled as he tried to live up to the hype earlier in his competitive career, Magomedsharipov eventually flipped a switch.
“To be honest, when I first started my career, it gave me some pressure, our last name,” Magomedsharipov said. “People were expecting maybe more from me than they saw from Zabit. I was young and it gave me a little pressure. But now, I’ve switched everything. I don’t care what people think. I just focus on myself. Now it works for me as a motivation.”
Magomedsharipov enters Bellator “very excited and more motivated than ever before.” After an opponent switch-up, he’s set to face Jonathan Quiroz (3-4 MMA, 0-1 BMMA) on the prelims – a debut he’s thrilled by.
“It was always my goal to try myself and try my skills and bring my talents to Bellator, because Bellator is one of the major organizations,” Magomedsharipov said. “It’s on the same level, I believe, as the UFC. For me, I think to debut overseas in the U.S., Bellator will be the best option for me. That’s why I picked Bellator.”
As for the not-so-near future, Magomedsharipov wasn’t willing to pressure himself or the promotion for big fights right off the bat. Saturday is the main focus, but he admitted an encore outing in his homeland wouldn’t be a bad idea.
“I don’t like to overlook my opponents or the fights, so all my focus in my mind is focused on Saturday night, on this guy who I will be fighting on Saturday – but we’ll see what happens after,” Magomedsharipov said. “To be honest, I want to ask Bellator to give me a fight on Oct. 23 in Moscow, the Russia event. After that, we’ll see. I’m ready to fight every two months, every three months. I don’t just want to be part of Bellator. I want to own my contract.”
Bellator 263 takes place Saturday at The Forum. The main card airs on Showtime after prelims on MMA Junkie.
