Zabit Magomedsharipov Would Fight Yair Rodriguez if Title Shot isn’t Secured
Zabit Magomedsharipov has UFC title aspirations. After beating Calvin Kattar at UFC Moscow, Zabit believes that he is the front runner to contend for the UFC featherweight title. However, the majority of MMA fans think that Zabit is not yet worthy of fighting for the title. Many were critical of his cardiovascular endurance during the three-round main fight. Nonetheless, if Zabit doesn’t get his shot at gold, he would like to settle the score with title contender Yair Rodriguez.
Recently, Zabit’s management sat down with Fight World Turkey to discuss his next plans moving forward. Obviously, if he has his way, he would like a shot to compete for the featherweight title next.
Many fans observed the match that Zabit won closely against Kattar. The general analysis of the bout was that Zabit is a very skilled fighter. But, after appearing gassed rather quickly, fans questioned if Zabit had the cardio to keep up with featherweights elite.
His management made sure to tell people that the decision for the main event to be three rounds was theirs, not Zabit’s.
“During the talks with UFC, we signed a 3-round fight. Because his coaches didn’t think he was completely back from this infection (that he got before the fight), ” said Rizvan Magomedov.
Zabit’s Next Hopeful Opponents
He finished by discussing the layout of Zabit’s next hopeful opponents. If Zabit doesn’t get the title shot, his management has a few other opponents in mind.
“Obviously we will wait for the result of the Max Holloway vs Volkanovski competition. Let’s see how this fight goes,” said Magomedov. “
“If we get a chance to go to the post-fight belt competition, of course, we will. But if that’s not possible, we’d like to fight Yair Rodriguez. The winner or loser of the Korean Zombie fight with Brian Ortega is also a good option. However, this time there will be a 5-round fight and we will show everyone that the Zabit is ready for it. ”
Making the Fight
The bad blood between Zabit and Yair trace back to when they were supposed to fight previously. However, stalled negotiations and Yair being released from the company stopped the match from happening.
Holloway vs Volkanovski is set to take place on December 14th at UFC 245 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The card will be at the T-Mobile arena and will be available as a pay per view.
Looks like we’ll have to wait until then to find out if Zabit will get his shot at the title.
