Zabit Magomedsharipov is competing again, and he’s doing it on a wrestling mat in Abu Dhabi.
The 35-year-old has signed a four-match deal with Real American Freestyle (RAF), his manager Ali Abdelaziz of Dominance MMA told MMA Junkie on Monday. He makes his RAF debut on the promotion’s Nov. 14 card in Abu Dhabi against an opponent who hasn’t been named yet.
Abdelaziz couldn’t wait for the announcement. Earlier Monday he posted on X that RAF had “Just signed one of the most infamous fighters in UFC History, stay tuned,” followed by “Big news coming soon,” with RAF, Chad Bronstein and Lance Palmer tagged. I’ll give him credit for using actual words instead of a row of emojis. Infamous is a strange pick for a guy who never lost in the Octagon, though. Maybe Ali meant famous. Maybe he meant the disappearing act, which is the closest thing to a scandal Zabit ever produced.
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The what-if guy
If you ask a room full of fight people for the biggest what-if in recent UFC history, Zabit’s name comes up fast. He fought in the UFC from 2017 to 2019, went 6-0, and walked away with an 18-1 pro record. People still argue about how far he would have gone.
Why he left has never been fully explained. Magomedsharipov has pointed to health issues and a chase for other opportunities outside the sport as part of the reason he retired. Nobody has gotten a cleaner answer than that, and a return to MMA still looks extremely unlikely.
He hasn’t been totally inactive. Zabit has picked up the occasional grappling match in recent years, and in August he beat Youssef Zalal by unanimous decision at ACBJJ 22. That’s the most recent look anyone has had at him in any kind of competition, and now he’s agreed to four freestyle matches with RAF.
We still don’t know the opponent. We don’t know how RAF plans to build around him after the debut either, beyond the fact that the deal runs four matches.
Quick take
I’ll take it. Zabit doing anything in public beats Zabit doing nothing, and four matches is a real commitment from a guy who spent years treating competition like an optional hobby. Fans who remember the spinning kicks won’t see those on a wrestling mat. A jumping leg sweep would be a decent consolation prize. The bigger story is the one RAF still owes us: somebody has to agree to wrestle Zabit Magomedsharipov in Abu Dhabi on Nov. 14, and I’d like to know who’s brave enough to sign that contract.
