Zabit Magomedsharipov believes UFC didn’t want him to be champion

Zabit Magomedsharipov holds the UFC partially responsible for his premature retirement. Magomedsharipov (18-1) is one of the biggest “what ifs” in MMA history. From elite striking to grappling, the Dagestani standout could seemingly do it all.

However, Magomedsharipov fought for the last time in 2019 and officially retired in 2022 to pursue a career in medicine. Magomedsharipov recently opened up about his premature retirement. Magomedsharipov blames multiple fight cancellations, which eventually took a toll on him.

Magomedsharipov particularly notes that he had multiple fights against fellow featherweight contender Yair Rodriguez canceled. After going through multiple training camps and weight cuts, only to have Rodriguez pull out at the last minute, Magomedsharipov had enough. Rodriguez was even