It has been a year and a half since the last time we saw Zabit Magomedsharipov competing in the Octagon. However that may have been the final time we see him competing altogether.
With his arrival in the UFC, Zabit was looked at as one of the brightest prospects in the featherweight division. He steadily worked his way through the ranks, going undefeated in the UFC with his most recent win being against Calvin Kattar.
That victory in November of 2019 left the Dagestani sitting at the number three ranked position in the promotion. Yet the most recent rankings update from the promotion had his name noticeably missing from the list altogether.
Updated #UFC FW Rankings. pic.twitter.com/f6jJn6Kfha
— Jed I. Goodman © (@jedigoodman) April 27, 2021
Zabit Magomedsharipov Might Retire?
Initial speculation was that Zabit Magomedsharipov was removed from the rankings due to inactivity, even if this was in large part due to the global pandemic. However it seems that there may be more to the story than that.
According to reports, people close to Magomedsharipov have revealed that the 30-year old is considering retirement. It seems that the route cause for this lies in a lack of motivation, given the length of time it has been between fights.
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— Aaron Bronsteter (@aaronbronsteter) April 30, 2021
It is worth noting that this is not anything that Zabit himself has indicated at the time of writing, with the reports only coming from sources close to his camp. Given how much untapped potential he still had in the Octagon, fans can only hope that this is not actually the case.
This would not be the first time a fighter has decided to hang up the gloves before their potential was realized in the cage. However a lot of people looked at him as being a potential champion in the future.
Do you think that we have seen the last of Zabit Magomedsharipov competing in the UFC Octagon?
