Zabit Magomedsharipov is often cited as one of MMA’s greatest ‘What ifs,’ and now, four years after his retirement, he has finally addressed his decision to walk away from fighting.
In mid-2022, Zabit Magomedsharipov shocked the MMA world by announcing his retirement. At the time, he was a highly regarded UFC featherweight, with many pegging him as a future champion or, at the very least, a future title contender. Now, four years later, Magomedsharipov is ready to offer some insight into what led to his retirement and where he currently stands with his decision.
MMA is a thing of the past for Zabit Magomedsharipov
Zabit Magomedsharipov had a recent sitdown with Red Corner MMA, during which he was asked about his retirement. Like the great Khabib Nurmagomedov, he was part of the first wave of Dagestani MMA in the UFC. However, while Nurmagomedov managed to capture the lightweight title, Magomedsharipov never reached the same championship heights in the UFC, though through no fault of his own. Despite never realizing what had once been his professional dream, Magomedsharipov has no regrets about walking away, saying as much when asked if he has any bitter feelings about how his career ended (17:27):
“Honestly, I don’t. I didn’t miss anything. Even if I had this belt at home, would it have changed anything in my life? I don’t think so. I have no regrets about leaving the sport and not winning anything. I left it and that was meant to be that way.”
He also reveals how his objectives kept changing the more he fought, ultimately culminating in his desire to become a UFC champion (18:16):
“At first I had a goal. To become a pro and have one professional fight. I did it and it felt great. Then I wanted to become a champion, win a belt. I won a belt. Then I wanted to travel to the US. Just to get there. And it never ends. So I got to the US. Back then I was an ACB champion. So I got to the US and thought that if the UFC signed me it would mean the world to me. They signed me. I kept winning. So your life is constantly changing. Of course, I wanted to become a champion. But it fell through. They didn’t let me. They were stalling for time. They didn’t let me fight. Well, that wasn’t meant for me. It’s okay. Now I’m going to become an ACBJJ champion.”
Now, he is aiming to become a Brazilian jiu-jitsu champion under ACB. He was previously scheduled to face rising UFC bantamweight Raul Rosas Jr. for the ACBJJ All Stars belt at ACBJJ 21 on July 5, but withdrew due to injury. He will now face top 10 UFC featherweight Yousseff Zalal at ACBJJ 22 tomorrow on Aug. 30.
On the MMA front, Magomedsharipov retired with an 18-1 record and was left frustrated by other fighters avoiding him, with many accusing Yair Rodriguez of being the guilty party. In the end, he lost his passion for the sport, and has found a new life in submission grappling.
