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Zabit Magomedsharipov reveals that Yair Rodriguez's injuries were a key reason for his retirement from the UFC. After a successful fight in 2019, health issues and inactivity led to his decision to step away from the sport.
MOSCOW, RUSSIA - NOVEMBER 08: Zabit Magomedsharipov of Russia poses on the scale during the UFC Fight Night weigh-ins at CSKA Arena on November 08, 2019 in Moscow, Russia. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images) | Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
Itâs been seven years since Zabit Magomedsharipov last competed inside the UFC Octagon.
Way back in November 2019, âZabeastâ picked up a unanimous decision victory over fellow top contender Calvin Kattar, pushing him into the Top Five and significantly closer to a title shot. Unfortunately, Magomedsharipov would never make it into the cage again. Initially, his return was delayed by Yair Rodriguezâs injuries, and at one point âPanteraâ was briefly cut from the promotion for turning down the matchup.
Afterward, Magomedsharipov dealt with some health issues that kept him on the sidelines. By 2021, Magomedsharipov was booted from his No. 3 spot in the Featherweight rankings due to inactivity, and he announced his retirement a year later.
Fortunately, the high-flying Featherweight has remained active as a coach and recently returned to the competitive grappling scene. Speaking with his new grappling promotion Absolute Championship of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Magomedsharipov explained how Rodriguez repeatedly pulling out of fights and UFC failing to uphold its promises led to his retirement.
Zabit Magomedsharipov cited Yair Rodriguez's injuries and his own health issues as significant factors in his decision to retire.
Zabit Magomedsharipov last competed in the UFC in November 2019 against Calvin Kattar.
His inactivity was primarily due to health issues and the delays caused by Yair Rodriguez's injuries.
Yair Rodriguez's injuries initially delayed Zabit's return to the Octagon and contributed to his eventual retirement.
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âThere were a lot of reasons, so many reasons,â Magomedsharipov said of his retirement. â[The UFC] just couldnât make the [Yair] fight happen. [I] wanted to fight, but like three or four times, theyâd postpone fights and we couldnât make a deal. But all these times I was making weight, going through camps, flying out to America. By the time you get there, youâve already been through so much, weight cut, training camp and everything.
âThen you arrive and two or three weeks before the fight, they tell you, âThatâs it, heâs injuredâ and postpone again. Iâd go back home again, and start getting ready all over again. Imagine that about five times. I got tired of it. How much can you take?
âWe had some agreements with them: if he pulls out of the fight a third time, theyâd automatically give me the title fight ⊠and the third time he found excuses. He came up with a lot of reasons. Then they started offering me somebody else, first [Chan Sung Jung] then some other guy, but at that time, it was just me and Rodriguez. The two of us were contenders, and they just didnât want to make me a champion.â
He concluded, âI know why too. At that time, we already had a lot of champions from Russia. Khabib was the champion then and Yan. Because of that, it wasnât beneficial for them that a third champion was from Russia.â
Could Magomedsharipov have been champion? At the time of his peak, the top dogs of the Featherweight class were Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway, who certainly would have tested his five-round mettle. That said, Magomedsharipovâs combination of fluid and flashy kickboxing with elite wrestling has yet to be matched all these years later, so it would have been interesting to see him try.
Itâs a shame âZabeastâ never got his title eliminator fight at a minimum. Yair Rodriguez, meanwhile, is still camped out at the No. 5 spot in the Featherweight rankings. He hasnât fought in 13 months, remains unbooked, and doesnât want to face divisional rival Diego Lopes.