Zabit Magomedsharipov is leaving no stone unturned as he prepares for his return to competition next month.
The renowned former UFC featherweight shocked the fight world when he retired at 18-1 in 2022 having never lost in the octagon. He has since been focused on coaching and tends to stay in the background as his brother, PFL star Khasan Magomedsharipov, continues his winning streak.
However, after almost seven years of inactivity, the UFC’s greatest ‘what if’ will test himself against one of the stars of today in Raul Rosas Jr on July 5. The grappling-only bout takes place in Moscow, and marks his first public contest since November of 2019.
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Zabit Magomedsharipov’s brother offers insight into grappling comeback
In the featured prelim of Saturday night’s PFL San Diego event, Khasan Magomedsharipov returned to action with a first round arm triangle choke of Joshua Weems. He had been out of action for almost two years to the day, and impressed fans with a ruthless stoppage.
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After the fact, he spoke with Bloody Elbow about his brother’s return to action next month, and claimed that “people will be surprised by the shape that he is in right now. I believe that he is in better shape than he was when he was fighting.”
However, this is not a soft launch for a return to the cage, with the younger Magomedsharipov insisting that his brother is finished. He did, though admit via his translator and veteran MMA manager Rizvan Magomedov that his sibling could continue taking grappling matches if the offers are good enough.
2026-06-28 03:00:00
