Tag: Zabit Magomedsharipov

Dana White: In a perfect world, Zabit Magomedsharipov vs. Yair Rodriguez is five rounds

Dana White thinks the highly anticipated fight between Zabit Magomedsharipov and Yair Rodriguez should serve as a headliner.

LAS VEGAS – Dana White thinks the highly anticipated fight between [autotag]Zabit Magomedsharipov[/autotag] and [autotag]Yair Rodriguez[/autotag] should serve as a headliner.

The matchup has been brewing for years, but the two top-ranked featherweights have yet to fight. They’re projected to finally square off this year.

Magomedsharipov (18-1 MMA, 6-0 UFC) and Rodriguez (13-2 MMA, 8-1 UFC) were linked to the UFC’s Aug. 29 headliner, but Rodriguez was forced out due to an ankle injury.

Magomedsharipov accused Rodriguez of not being brave enough to show up, prompting Rodriguez to fire back and tell Magomedsharipov to wait like the “little dog” that he is.

Rodriguez is targeting a return this fall, but no official date has been assigned for their rebooking. Rodriguez wants it to be a five-round fight, and so does White, who says the bout is still being worked on.

“(Tuesday) was matchmaking, and we’re still working on that fight,” White told reporters, including MMA Junkie, after Dana White’s Contender Series 29 in Las Vegas. “We want to do the Yair and Zabit fight, so we’re waiting for Yair to get healed.

“I don’t know how it’s going to end up playing out, but in a perfect world, yes, I would like it to be five rounds.”

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Magomedsharipov has looked near flawless in his octagon performances, but continues to draw criticism for his cardio. He has shown a tendency to slow down in fights and his headliner against Calvin Kattar in November 2019 was only three rounds due to the late-notice main event slot. He lost Round 3 on all three judges’ scorecards.

On the other side of the 145-pound bracket, former UFC featherweight title challenger Brian Ortega will look to bounce back from his first-career loss when he takes on the streaking Chan Sung Jung in the UFC’s Oct. 17 main event.

A No. 1 contender is expected to emerge from either one of those pivotal featherweight clashes while champion Alexander Volkanovski waits for his next challenger.

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Yair Rodriguez responds to ‘little dog’ Zabit Magomedsharipov: ‘Sit down and wait for me’

Yair Rodriguez fires back at Zabit Magomedsharipov.

It seems like Zabit Magomedsharipov’s recent comments didn’t sit well with [autotag]Yair Rodriguez[/autotag].

The Mexican featherweight contender took to Instagram on Thursday to respond to Magomedsharipov’s recent claim suggesting Rodriguez wasn’t brave enough to step in the cage with him when he pulled out of their planned bout for Aug. 29.

Rodriguez (13-2 MMA, 8-1 UFC) withdrew from the contest citing an ankle injury. “El Pantera” hopes to keep the Magomedsharipov bout intact and said he’s ready for a late fall return.

“Sit down and wait for me the way you have been waiting,” Rodriguez wrote on Instagram. “You will get a real good taste of my big Mexican balls soon enough. And since when did you become the sh*t talker? That you or your manager? Either way, you’ll both wait for me like the little dogs you are. Tongue out and begging. I’ll see you in October-November 5 rounds.”

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This isn’t the first time a Rodriguez-Magomedsharipov bout has fallen through. In 2018, the two were supposed to fight at UFC 228. But Rodriguez suffered an injury and withdrew from the bout.

The 27-year-old Rodriguez last fought in October, when he defeated Jeremy Stephens with a unanimous decision.

Below is Rodriguez’s Instagram post responding to Magomedsharipov:

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Zabit Magomedsharipov issues challenge to champ Alexander Volkanovski: ‘Let’s try new blood’

Zabit Magomedsharipov has his sights set on UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski.

[autotag]Zabit Magomedsharipov[/autotag] has his sights set on UFC featherweight champion [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag].

With Yair Rodriguez injured and out of their expected Aug. 29 matchup, Magomedsharipov (18-1 MMA, 6-0) and the UFC are in search of a new featherweight opponent.

Wednesday, Magomedsharipov called out Volkanovski (22-9 MMA, 9-0 UFC) in an Instagram post.

“My next fight was supposed to be title eliminator and I won without fighting,” Magomesharipov wrote. “Next is a title shot. @alexvolkanovski I know you’re great champion and you’re tired of fighting Max (Holloway). Let’s try new blood. I promise to make it unforgettable.”

Magomedsharipov also voiced his openness to delaying his return to September or October, should it mean he fights for the title.

“Let’s give fans what they want, if you need a little time September or October fine with me,” Magomedsharipov said.

Earlier in the day, Magomesharipov tweeted a brief challenge to Volkanovski on Twitter. The champion responded, “I am the champ not the replacement fighter but I hope you find a matchup ASAP then chances are I see you later this year.”

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Magomedsharipov has not competed since a November unanimous decision victory over Calvin Kattar. Conversely, Volkanovski has fought twice in that time frame, defeating Holloway twice – once by unanimous decision to claim the belt from Holloway and most recently in a tightly contested split decision at UFC 251 in July.

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‘Zombie’ or Zabit? UFC champ Alex Volkanovski weighs in on two title fight options

Alex Volkanovski discusses what “The Korean Zombie” and Zabit Magomedsharipov must do to earn a title shot against him.

UFC featherweight champion [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag] sees two options for his next title defense but not until they each fight one more time.

Volkanovski retained his title by edging Max Holloway in their rematch at UFC 251 and is now ready to welcome a new crop of challengers. But Volkanovski (22-1 MMA, 9-0 UFC) has been vocal about his discontent toward the division’s lack of activity, with the majority of the top five yet to compete in 2020.

Volkanovski sees [autotag]Chan Sung Jung[/autotag] and [autotag]Zabit Magomedsharipov[/autotag] (18-1 MMA, 6-0 UFC) as the two top contender, but insists that they should fight at least one more time to cement themselves as No. 1 contenders.

“‘Zombie’ keeps running his mouth, even though he’s got another one before him,” Volkanovski told Submission Radio. “But I mean, still, that’s always intriguing, that’s a fun fight. You know he’s just going to look for the finish, which, again, if someone is just going to be aggressive like that, that’s good for me. That’s a fun fight. Same with even Zabit, as well. I think they’re the two frontrunners, Zabit and ‘Zombie.’ But again, they just need a fight. Someone just needs a fight, get an impressive win, and I guarantee you everyone’s going to be screaming their name.

“I guarantee you, if ‘Zombie’ knocks out Ortega, or Zabit knocks out or does a crazy submission to Yair Rodriguez, I guarantee you. Guys are gonna be like, ‘That’s the fight I want.’ You guys will be, everyone will be. So, that’s the fight I want. I want an exciting fight, and I want a person that everyone goes, ‘This has to be the guy. He’s gonna do it.’ Man, I hope I’m the underdog. I mean, I love it. I love people saying this is the guy that’s going to take him out, and then I go out and prove them wrong again.”

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Jung (16-5 MMA, 6-2 UFC), who’s been linked to a bout with Brian Ortega for a while, has been chirping at Volkanovski, but Volkanovski won’t budge.

He believes Jung’s manager has been controlling “The Korean Zombie’s” social media and sees why Ortega got into an altercation with Jung’s team earlier in the year.

“I want the bullies, but at the same time, it seems like the bullies are his manager or something, which already got a good slapping from Ortega, so they shut up for a while,” Volkanovski said. “‘Zombie’s’ a pretty cool dude, but if he’s gonna let his team run their mouths, he deserves a beating for it, as well. But definitely. That’s a good fight. But with Ortega saying he doesn’t believe ‘Zombie,’ you can’t really believe him for saying that because supposedly ‘Zombie’ can fight me but can’t fight Ortega.

“So, it just doesn’t really make sense. So, he’s calling me out saying he wants to fight me and blah, blah, blah, but at the same time telling Ortega that he’s got these restrictions, and he can’t fight. So, you can see where Ortega’s coming with that.”

Volkanovski hopes to squeeze one more fight in before the end of the year, but understands that it might not be feasible due to the heavy restrictions in these uncertain COVID-19 times. After defeating Holloway, Volaknovski had to quarantine for two weeks in a hotel room upon his arrival in Sydney.

“End of the year,” Volkanovski said. “You know what I mean? End of the year, I think that’s pretty realistic. Again, we’re in pretty challenging times, so to go ‘let’s do one right away’ and go through all the protocols, it wasn’t easy. This camp was different, very different. There was a lot of hurdles you had to jump the whole way through, and to just do that right away would be quite annoying.

“But let’s see at the end of the year if things quiet down, and things ease up a little bit, maybe the process will be easier. But if not, if the protocols are the same, at least I’ll be eager to fight, and I’ll be like, ‘Who cares? Let’s just get this out of the way. I want to fight.'”

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Zabit Magomedsharipov congratulates Timur Valiev on UFC signing with funny Instagram post

An homage to “Home Alone.”

As MMA Junkie’s Nolan King and John Morgan reported Monday, [autotag]Timur Valiev[/autotag] has signed with the UFC and is targeted to make his debut against Jamall Emmers on Aug. 1 in Las Vegas.

Valiev, 30, has long been considered one of the best bantamweights outside of the UFC. He hasn’t competed since last summer for PFL, so it’s a big deal that he’s finally getting his chance to shine on the big stage.

One person who is excited for Valiev is his friend and “brother,” [autotag]Zabit Magomedsharipov[/autotag], who congratulated him on Instagram with a funny post paying homage to the 1990 holiday classic “Home Alone.”

Via Google Translate:

Now my partner is also in @ufc 😁 congratulations on the long awaited signing, brother

For those who may not be familiar, that’s Marv and Harry (the “Wet Bandits”) on the left, played by Daniel Stern and Joe Pesci.

Call me easily amused, but I got a kick out of this.

The Blue Corner is MMA Junkie’s blog space. We don’t take it overly serious, and neither should you. If you come complaining to us that something you read here is not hard-hitting news, expect to have the previous sentence repeated in ALL CAPS.

UFC fighter faces off against a goat in hilarious training session

This is one way to stay in shape during the coronavirus pandemic.

Russian featherweight Zabit Magomedsharipov (18-1), currently ranked third in his UFC division, is having a bit of trouble finding live sparring partners in the time of shutdowns due to the coronavirus pandemic. Fortunately, he found a willing opponent to help him work on agility and escape skills in…. an actual goat.

Magomedsharipov shared a video of himself playfully sparring with a goat on his Instagram account. He’s destroyed each opponent he’s faced in the UFC so far, but he’s never had to deal with massive, pointy horns before. Don’t try this at home, kids.

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Zabit Magomedsharipov spars with goat as he bids to stay sharp during COVID-19 lockdown

Zabit Magomedsharipov appeared on social media playfully sparring with a goat as he finds new ways to stay in shape during the coronavirus lockdown.

[autotag]Zabit Magomedsharipov[/autotag] has found himself an unusual sparring partner to help keep him sharp during the COVID-19 lockdown.

One of the most unique talents on the roster, Russia’s Magomedsharipov has risen the featherweight ranks to become one of the top contenders at 145 pounds, with no one so far able to find an answer to his well-rounded skillset.

But, with all gyms closed during the coronavirus outbreak, “Zabeast” has had to find alternative sparring options and has found himself a goat (no, not Artem Lobov), which did something few UFC fighters have managed so far as it pushed him onto the back foot during a playful exchange.

“Goat Meanwhile… Zabit is sparring with a goat! @zabeast_mma”

Unbeaten in the UFC, Magomedsharipov last competed in November, when he defeated Calvin Kattar via unanimous decision.

The Blue Corner is MMA Junkie’s blog space. We don’t take it overly serious, and neither should you. If you come complaining to us that something you read here is not hard-hitting news, expect to have the previous sentence repeated in ALL CAPS.

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UFC free fight: Zabit Magomedsharipov and Kyle Bochniak earn ‘Fight of the Night’ honors in slugfest

Relive the action from Zabit Magomedsharipov’s second UFC appearance as he engaged in a three-round war with Kyle Bochniak at UFC 223.

In [autotag]Kyle Bochniak[/autotag], [autotag]Zabit Magomedsharipov[/autotag] faced a man that had no issue bringing the fight straight to him.

Magomedsharipov (18-1 MMA, 6-0 UFC) faced Bochniak (8-5 MMA, 2-5 UFC) at UFC 223 in 2018, where the Russian was a sizable betting favorite.

Despite the pre-fight odds, Bochniak wasn’t the least bit intimidated by Magomedsharipov’s size, technique, and skill as he bit down on his mouthpiece and swung for the fences.

Magomedsharipov was happy to engage, and clipped Bochniak on numerous occasions as he made him pay for his wild entries. He worked the body early, using an array of wild spinning techniques, and showed off his grappling, as he landed multiple takedowns during the fight.

In Round 3, Bochniak continued to show his heart by pressing forward, but Magomedsharipov remained calm. With about a minute to go, Magomedsharipov showed signs of fatigue and Bochniak tried to capitalize with a late flurry, but it was too little, too late. After 15 minutes, Magomedsharipov was awarded the unanimous decision on all three judges’ scorecards.

Magomedsharipov remains unbeaten inside the octagon, and has since picked up impressive victories over fellow featherweight contenders Jeremy Stephens, and Calvin Kattar.

Check out Magomedsharipov’s classic battle with Bochniak in the video above.

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Combat Rewind, April 14: Zabit Magomedsharipov’s lone career loss, ‘Good night, Tokyo!’

Check out the best highlights from this day in history with MMA Junkie’s “Combat Rewind.”

There’s “Flashback Friday” and “Throwback Thursday” (and Tuesday, too, if you want). But at MMA Junkie, we figured why not expand that to every day?

“Combat Rewind” brings you some of combat sports’ best highlights from every calendar day of the year. It’s a look back at history, courtesy of the UFC Fight Pass archives, featuring stellar finishes and classic moments in MMA and beyond on their anniversaries.

So kick back and relive the following bits of greatness in the video above:

  • Pancrase 304: [autotag]Yuto Hokamura[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Toshinori Tsunemura[/autotag] – April 14, 2019
  • ProFC 47: [autotag]Jessica Andrade[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Milana Dudieva[/autotag] – April 14, 2013
  • Pancrase 304: [autotag]Kenta Takagi[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Kazuma Maruyama[/autotag] – April 14, 2019
  • ProFC 47: [autotag]Igor Egorov[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Zabit Magomedsharipov[/autotag] – April 14, 2013
  • Pancrase 304: [autotag]Takasuke Kume[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Tom Santos[/autotag] – April 14, 2019
  • Victory FC 60: [autotag]Josh Streacker[/autotag] vs. [autotag]J.P. Saint Louis[/autotag] – April 14, 2018

Fight footage courtesy of UFC Fight Pass, the UFC’s official digital subscription service, which is currently offering a seven-day free trial. UFC Fight Pass gives fans access to exclusive live UFC events and fights, exclusive live MMA and combat sports events from around the world, exclusive original and behind the scenes content and unprecedented 24-7 access to the world’s biggest fight library.

Zabit Magomedsharipov says he’ll be fighting top 5 opposition at UFC 249 – but it’s not set yet

Zabit Magomedsharipov says he’ll be competing at UFC 249. Given the hints, there are two possible opponents he could face on fight night.

According to [autotag]Zabit Magomedsharipov[/autotag], he’ll be competing alongside fellow countryman Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 249 on April 18.

One of the UFC’s top featherweight contenders, Magomedsharipov (18-1 MMA, 6-0 UFC) has recently been linked to a fight against former title challenger Brian Ortega.

During UFC 247 fight week, UFC president Dana White told ESPN the fight was being worked on. However, Brian Ortega told ESPN he hadn’t heard about the matchup.

In a recent interview with RT Sport, Magomedsharipov confirmed the current plan is to compete at the April pay-per-view event. However, no opponent is set in stone at this time.

“Yes, it’ll be April 18, but I’m not sure who the opponent will be,” Magomedsharipov said. “There’s an opponent. He hasn’t been sent the bout agreement. Once he gets the contract, we can announce it.”

While he wouldn’t name his likely fight night foe, Magomedsharipov did confirm it would be a “top-5 fighter.”

Looking over the official UFC featherweight rankings, champion Alexander Volkanovski sits atop the list, with Max Holloway, Ortega, Magomedsharipov, Chan Sung Jung, and Yair Rodriguez rounding out the top five contenders – in that order.

Volkanovski looks likely to defend his title in a rematch against former champion Holloway in June, and Magomedsharipov said his potential opponent on April 18 isn’t from South Korea. That leaves Ortega and Rodriguez as the two fighters most likely to face Magomedsharipov, who has yet to taste defeat inside the octagon.

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