Former UFC featherweight, Zabit Magomedsharipov, was arguably one of the top prospects in the featherweight division. With an impressive 6-0 record in his UFC career, the Russian seemed like he was just a few fights away from fighting for the UFC Gold. Yet, Magomedsharipov ended up becoming the biggest “What ifs” in the MMA scene.

Magomedsharipov’s last fight in the promotion was against UFC featherweight, Calvin Kattar, all the way back in 2019. The 32-year-old hasn’t fought since, as he has announced his retirement from the sport, due to personal reasons. However, there were rumors surrounding his potential return to the sport.

Joe Rogan addresses Zabit Magomedsharipov’s return

Joe Rogan and his friends, Eddie Bravo, Brendan Schaub, and Joey Diaz, gathered to watch the fights for UFC 297. However, at one point in time, Bravo asked Rogan if Zabit Magomedsharipov was planning on returning to the sport, due to footage of him training.

Schaub and Rogan shut down those assumptions as they told Bravo that the former UFC featherweight was pursuing a field in medicine. But Schaub recalled what MMA coach Mark Henry told him, saying, “I told you Mark Henry would like DM me like ‘bro, I’m telling you, you need to talk about this kid. He’s with Frankie Edgar, he’s with Barboza, he’s f***ing up everybody’”

Rogan went on to add, “He’s out there feeding squirrels, he’s out there in the woods and s***. Cause he likes working out man. There’s a lot of people, look at George St. Pierre, you think he’s making a comeback too. He’s coming down here training with the Dinahue death squad. Meanwhile, all he’s just doing is just being a martial artist.”

Zabit Magomedsharipov, despite being on an amazing rise to the top, ended up retiring prematurely. So what was his reason for retiring this early on in his career?

Reason for the featherweight prospect’s retirement

The 18-1 Russian at an event over a year back revealed what led to him retiring early from the sport. He stated, “There were many reasons. Firstly, because of refusal to fight with me. I had no fights for two years. Then there were injuries. I was sick a lot. I didn’t recover.”

He also mentioned that one of the main reasons that he finally decided to retire back in 2022 was because of the UFC not being able to keep their word. Magomedsharipov revealed that the UFC had promised him a title shot but failed to honor their words to the featherweight prospect.

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Do you guys believe that Zabit Magomedsharipov will return to the sport? Or do you guys agree with the JRE Podcast host on this matter? Let us know in the comments section below.

Also Read: Potential Champ Zabit Magomedsharipov Finally Reveals Heart-Breaking Reason for Retirement & the UFC Is to Blame