The Film Room: Zabit Magomedsharipov
UFC 228 is now available on Amazon Prime.
Zabit Magomedsharipov will set foot inside the Octagon for the fourth time when he collides with short-notice replacement Brandon Davis in a featherweight showcase at UFC 228 on Saturday at the American Airlines Center in Dallas. Magomedsharipov, 27, has established himself as one of the most exciting prospects in mixed martial arts, and many see him as the future face of the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s featherweight division. First, he must get past Davis.
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Like many Russian children, he started martial arts training at a young age. In fact, Magomedsharipov first took up wrestling and kickboxing at the age of 10 before transitioning to wushu. He made his professional MMA debut in 2012 and amasses a 6-1 record before agreeing to terms with Absolute Championship Berkut, a promotion in which he captured the featherweight crown in less than two years. Magomedsharipov vacated the title to join the UFC in 2017 and has since put together three dominant performances at the sport’s highest level.
Kicks are the most interesting aspect of Magomedsharipov’s game, whether they come in the form of standard round kicks or taekwondo-style two-touch spinning back kicks. His creativity can overwhelm opponents, but what makes his kicks so effective are the setups. Most fighters who routinely throw spinning kicks and bicycle kicks rarely set them up. Magomedsharipov has been an exception, as he mixes in the basics of combat with these tricky kicks to perplex his opponents.
Although he is usually the leading attacker, Magomedsharipov has his fair share of counters, including the turning side kicks he landed against Kyle Bochniak at UFC 223. Many thought the best game plan against the Almeida Jiu-Jitsu representative would be pressuring through his kicks to keep him working off of his back foot. However, the fight with Bochniak proved he could deal with the pressure while using his footwork to evade attacks and create space for his kicks. Magomedsharipov stands 6-foot-1 and wields a 73-inch reach. When paired with his counters and evasive footwork, it makes trapping him against the fence or keeping him in the pocket all but impossible.
During the few times when Magomedsharipov has been corralled along the cage and forced to trade in the pocket, he has proven he can remain calm and hunt counters while his opponent swings wildly. In one memorable exchange with Bochniak, he either slipped or blocked punches while landing clean shots of his own.
Magomedsharipov’s striking may be fun and exciting to watch, but his ability to integrate his grappling has made him one of MMA’s most heralded prospects. A number of similarly skilled fighters have graced the UFC in the past, but few have shown instincts on par with the Russian. While Magomedsharipov has a background in freestyle wrestling, he features far more sambo, often securing body locks before dragging opponents to the mat. However, he has a variety of takedowns he can call upon, including trips and sweeps.
Once the fight hits the canvas, Magomedsharipov prefers submissions to ground-and-pound and has tapped two of his first three opponents in the UFC. He trains jiu-jitsu under former Pancrase champion Ricardo Almeida and has paired those developing ground skills with his technically proficient striking.
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