When asked about some of the biggest what ifs in MMA a common answer you’ll find is Zabit Magomedsharipov. Zabit was a highly touted prospect who rose to prominence in the UFC with his unique striking. Zabit was very unique being a fighter from Dagestan who primarily was a striker and a highly proficient one. He would rise as a contender in the featherweight division however retired prematurely in 2020. This was due to health issues and other factors forcing a retirement on what looked to be a very promising career. And whilst Zabit shall remain retired his younger brother Khasan Magomedsharipov is on the rise.
Khasan Magomedsharipov
Khasan started his MMA career in 2019 and signed with Bellator in 2021. He is 23, undefeated in 10 fights, and is only in the early stages of his career. And even at these early stages the similarity to his brother is noticeable. The first thing to notice is unsurprisingly Khasan bears a physical resemblance to his brother and fights in the same weight class.
Besides the obvious there’s also a resemblance in fighting style. Khasan like his brother exhibits an aptitude for striking using a variety of tools making use of the flashy kicks that made Zabit so memorable. Again like Zabit, Khasan has also shown competent grappling which he has in his back pocket if he needs it.
Khasan’s most recent fight was on June 22nd and was a dominant victory over Tyler Mathison. This fight saw Khasan outclass Mathison on the feet and demonstrate his superior grappling. By the end of the 3 rounds Magomedsharipov got the unanimous decision victory 30-27 x3.
Khasan will continue to be built up by Bellator who will hopefully capitalise on a potential star. He is yet to be tested in the upper echelons of his division but so far he has shown a lot of promise. We may even see Khasan in the UFC one day if he continues to improve and have success in Bellator. It would be fitting for Khasan to have the same success as Zabit and maybe he will but it’s early days. We shall wait and see how Khasan’s career plays out with great interest.
Featured image credit to Embed from Getty Images