Zabit Magomedsharipov believes UFC didn’t want him to be champion

Zabit Magomedsharipov said the UFC shares responsibility for his premature retirement, citing repeated cancellations that stalled his ascent. In an ACBJJ interview, the former featherweight contender detailed UFC scheduling issues and multiple scrapped bouts with Yair Rodriguez. He said a promised title shot never arrived after Rodriguez withdrew several times, shaping the timeline of Magomedsharipov's retirement. He last fought in 2019 and officially retired in 2022 to pursue medicine. Magomedsharipov added that the UFC previously discussed advancing him after a third withdrawal but instead proposed other opponents. He also claimed the promotion was reluctant to see another Russian champion while Khabib Nurmagomedov and Petr Yan held titles. This video presents his account and the documented sequence of cancellations.