Zabit Magomedsharipov beats Youssef Zalal at ACBJJ 22 in combat sports return
After seven years away, Zabit Magomedsharipov made a successful return to combat sports at ACBJJ 22, where he defeated UFC featherweight Youssef Zalal.
Zabit Magomedsharipov has reignited his competitive fire, as he traveled to the Ora Arena in Istanbul, Turkey for a submission grappling at ACBJJ 22. He took on top 10 UFC featherweight Youssef Zalal and emerged victorious in his first competitive bout since 2019.
Zabit Magomedsharipov capped off a weekend full of returns
Several former UFC fighters made their returns to active competition this past weekend. Ex-UFC light heavyweight power-puncher Jimi Manuwa faced Chase Sherman in his first fight since 2019, TKO'ing him in round two of an 8-round boxing match at Duel Arena 1. Another fighter who returned for the first time since 2019 was former UFC lightweight action fighter Joe Lauzon, who demolished Stash Kuykendall with a second-round TKO at BKFC 92. Not to be forgotten, Zabit Magomedsharipov finally made his long-awaited return to combat sports, which was originally set to be a submission grappling match against Raul Rosas Jr. at ACBJJ 21.
Unfortunately, an injury had forced him to withdraw from the match, so he returned at ACBJJ 22, defeating Youssef Zalal via unanimous decision after seven minutes. Despite being content with his retirement from MMA without ever finding UFC championship success, Magomedsharipov will now look to build upon his submission grappling triumph and become an ACBJJ champion.
Several years ago, Magomedsharipov was a highly touted fighter in the UFC featherweight division, with a deep bag of tricks everywhere the fight went. He was a dynamic striker with a Sanda background, and a clever wrestler with experience in freestyle wrestling. Furthermore, his lanky frame made him a nightmare to deal with on the mat, and he is among the very few UFC fighters to ever submit an opponent with a Suloev stretch, doing so to Brandon Davis in round two at UFC 228. Many were confident that he would one day fight for the featherweight title, and it seemed like a matter of time after his unanimous decision win over Calvin Kattar at UFC Fight Night 163.
However, things took a frustrating turn for Magomedsharipov when the UFC's failed attempts to book a fight between him and Yair Rodriguez, on account of Rodriguez's pullouts, led to inactivity. Eventually, Magomedsharipov announced his retirement, stunning the MMA world and remaining, to this day, a 'What if' story.
