UFC featherweight fighter Zabit Magomedsharipov, touted as one of the greatest talents in the promotion, announced his retirement out of the blue. With an exciting and flamboyant style, the Russian fighter entertained fans throughout his UFC run. Yet, he remained a big what-if story in MMA and retired as one. The Russian athlete addressed his retirement for the first time in an Instagram post.

The 31-year-old shared an extended post where he talked about the struggles that kept him out of the Octagon, and what eventually led him to hang his gloves. The former featherweight fighter also shared his plans for the future.

Zabit Magomedsharipov wrote, “I know that many of you were waiting for my return, there was not a single day that someone did not ask when is my next fight was. But I decided to end my pro sports career.”

“Disruptions of fights, and then health problems – all this did not allow me to perform/fightt earlier. I have recovered now, but I don’t feel the way I used to.”

The DagFighter standout thanked his supporters and added, “I didn’t have time to become a champion, but I think, even without this, I hope I was able to please/entertain you))”

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Magomedsharipov went 6-0 in his UFC career. He beat the likes of Jeremy Stephens, Calvin Kattar, and four other fighters.

Could Zabit Magomedsharipov have become a UFC champion?

The Russian athlete had all the potential in the world to fight for the UFC featherweight championship. He was just one big win away from getting that opportunity. However, fate had other plans.

As he mentioned in his retirement acknowledgment post, he had a mixture of bout cancelations and injuries that halted his rise in the featherweight title picture.

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Looking at the matchups, the undefeated fighter would’ve had a tough time against the division’s champion and number #2 ranked pound-for-pound fighter, Alexander Volkanovski. However, he was still raw in his UFC career.

The only hole in the dynamic striker and effective grappler’s game was his cardio. Although he won his bout against Calvin Kattar, ‘ZaBeast’ faded in the third round. Hence, he may have had a tough time against ‘The Great‘, who is known for his exceptional cardio.

Yet, with age on his side and with some experience in five-round bouts, he would’ve surely become a UFC champion.

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What do you think of Zabit Magomedsharipov’s words?