Zabit Magomedsharipov looked to be the future of the UFC’s featherweight division, but I guess we’ll never really know.
The 31-year-old made official on Thursday what many MMA fans feared – retirement. Magomedsharipov (18-1 MMA, 6-0 UFC) took his decision to hang up the gloves public, letting the masses know that the rumors were indeed true and that a return to the octagon was simply not coming.
“I don’t feel the way I used to,” Magomedsharipov explained in a short, but heartfelt message to his fans on Instagram.
The decision came after almost three years of inactivity.
The last time Magomedsharipov fought was in November 2019 when he headlined UFC Fight Night 163 in Moscow, Russia against American featherweight contender Calvin Kattar. He won the fight by unanimous decision.
After the win over Kattar, it was clear Magomedsharipov was well on his way to MMA stardom and maybe challenge for UFC gold.
He had 14 consecutive wins, with six of those being in the UFC. Magomedsharipov had a 50 percent finishing rate in the octagon and had pocketed four $50,000 Fight Night bonuses – two Performance of the Night and two Fight of the Night awards.
He was looking damn good. On top of that, he was just cool.
Magomedsharipov didn’t do much trash talk and didn’t speak much English to cater to the massive American audience of the UFC. Yet, he had his appeal. Between the I-just-got-out-of-bed look and somewhat resembling Abraham Lincoln, Magomedsharipov captivated the American audience and beyond.
Also, one can’t forget how important he was for his own market, as he was one of the main figures from Dagestan that followed Khabib Nurmagomedov’s footsteps, representing millions of Muslims and people from the Easter European region.
If his retirement stands, Magomedsharipov is the biggest “what if” fighter in MMA history.
Yes, I know Cain Velasquez suffered many career-altering injuries, Fedor Emelianenko never made it to the UFC, Chael Sonnen was seconds away from becoming UFC champion before getting submitted by an injured Anderson Silva. But those were moments in time, incidents. All those fighters achieved major titles or opportunities and went through the entire process and cycles of a fighting career.
In terms of rising fighters, who showed big promise both sporting and promotionally speaking, yet retired prematurely, Magomedsharipov is the biggest wonder of them all.
And sure, he wasn’t entirely perfect. He looked to be tiring against Kattar and lost the final round of their bout after winning the first two. But it’s undeniable that Magomedsharipov was a star in the making, and among the best fighters in that weight class. Top-five quality is a requirement to get past Kattar, as he’s no gatekeeper and well in the mix at featherweight today.
Keep in mind, Magomedsharipov was only 28 when he fought Kattar that winter night in Moscow. It was his first time as the top bill on a UFC card. He only had seven years of fighting professionally in MMA.
There’s a good chance we didn’t even get to see the beginning stages of this kid’s prime.
Zabit Magomedsharipov retires as the biggest ‘what if’ in MMA | Opinion