5 potential opponents for Zabit Magomedsharipov's UFC return

After spending well over two years on the shelf due to health concerns, it was announced this week that top featherweight prospect Zabit Magomedsharipov is set to return to the UFC this year.

Zabit’s manager has finally confirmed that the native of Dagestan is healthy and training. With that in mind, who should he face in his return to the octagon?

The featherweight division is hardly short on contenders right now, meaning there are plenty of potential opponents out there for Magomedsharipov, whether the UFC decides to bring him back slowly or push him directly into contention.

With that in mind, here are five possible opponents for Zabit's comeback fight.

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#5. Zabit Magomedsharipov vs. Edson Barboza

Edson Barboza remains dangerous for any opponent despite his advanced age

Given that his inactivity has resulted in his removal from the UFC’s official rankings, it would make sense for Zabit Magomedsharipov to return to action against a fighter who is part of the top 10 at featherweight.

One opponent who would definitely make sense for him, then, might be former lightweight contender Edson Barboza. ‘Junior’ has not fought since his loss to Giga Chikadze last year, but despite that, he remains ranked at No.10 in the division.

Barboza is 36 years old, but prior to his loss to Chikadze, he was on a two-fight win streak. He impressively defeated Shane Burgos last May at UFC 262. It was probably his best performance since his win over Dan Hooker back in 2018.

While the Brazilian’s age, as well as the fact that he’s absorbed so much punishment over the years, ought to make him a beatable foe for Magomedsharipov, there can be no doubt that he’s still a very dangerous fighter.

With some of the nastiest leg kicks in the game, as well as knockout power in his hands, Barboza has the ability to take out any fighter in the octagon.

However, Zabit’s lengthy reach and stellar ground game would likely give him the edge in this bout and due to Barboza’s high profile, he’d make an excellent win for the Dagestani to return to action with.

#4. Zabit Magomedsharipov vs. Alex Caceres

Longtime veteran Alex Caceres is probably in the best form of his career right now

It might sound crazy given that he’s been competing in the UFC since 2010, but Alex Caceres might be in the best form of his career right now. The fact that he’s ranked at No.15 in the featherweight division makes him a worthy opponent for Zabit Magomedsharipov.

‘Bruce Leeroy’ most recently defeated Seung Woo Choi via rear-naked choke, taking his current winning streak to a total of five fights.

However, it’s probably fair to say that the TUF veteran has not faced a fighter of Zabit’s caliber in the octagon for some time and he certainly hasn’t beaten anyone on that level before.

Would ‘Bruce Leeroy’ prove to be a threat to the Dagestani? It is possible. He’s a wily veteran with a highly-skilled ground game, as well as the ability to strike decently on the feet, too.

However, given that Magomedsharipov dealt with the likes of Calvin Kattar and Jeremy Stephens prior to his stint on the shelf, he’d be hugely favored to win this bout handily.

This fight wouldn’t be the biggest that Zabit could hope for right now, but in terms of a winnable return bout, the UFC could do much worse than to put it together.

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#3. Zabit Magomedsharipov vs. Bryce Mitchell

Bryce Mitchell's grappling skills would make him a tricky opponent for Zabit Magomedsharipov

Another fighter who is on a tremendous win streak right now in the featherweight division is Bryce Mitchell. ‘Thug Nasty’ is unbeaten in the octagon at 5-0 and with a total of 14 wins to his name, he has yet to taste defeat in MMA, period.

Those wins have enabled Mitchell to climb up to No.11 in the UFC’s rankings and so the promotion could well decide to match him with the returning Zabit Magomedsharipov, meaning one of the two would lose their unbeaten octagon record.

Would this fight make sense for Zabit? Some might argue that the Dagestani has earned a fight against a more highly-ranked opponent. Then again, Mitchell is on one of the best runs in the entire division and deserves a step up in his own right.

More to the point, this clash could prove to be wildly entertaining, as both Magomedsharipov and Mitchell are grappling-based fighters who throw caution to the wind when they step into the octagon.

‘Thug Nasty’ is one of just two men to submit an opponent with the infamous Twister inside the UFC. Magomedsharipov, meanwhile, is no stranger to low-percentage submissions in his own right, using a hamstring stretcher to tap out Brandon Davis in 2018.

Whether Mitchell could deal with Zabit’s flashy striking skills is another thing entirely, but it’d definitely be fun to see him try. If the UFC wants to put the Dagestani into a potential barnburner, then this fight might be the one to make.

#2. Zabit Magomedsharipov vs. Brian Ortega

A win over Brian Ortega would instantly vault Zabit Magomedsharipov into title contention

Prior to his health issues, Zabit Magomedsharipov was knocking on the door of a shot at the UFC featherweight title, with another big win looking likely to move him directly to the front of the queue.

His time away from the octagon has obviously set him back from that goal, but if the native of Dagestan wishes to climb instantly back into contention, then the fighter he’d need to beat would be Brian Ortega.

‘T-City’ most recently came up short in a title bout with current champ Alexander Volkanovski, but the fight was an instant classic. More importantly, he is still clearly one of the most dangerous fighters in the division, as his wins over fighters like Frankie Edgar and Chan Sung Jung showed.

Naturally, this would be an incredibly tricky fight for Zabit to take on. While he’d hope to have an advantage in the wrestling department, whether he could outstrike or outgrapple ‘T-City’ would be a huge question mark.

However, if the Dagestani could find a way to pull off a win, then it’d be very difficult to deny him a shot at the title in the near future, perhaps even in his next fight.

The UFC may consider this one a step too far for a fighter who hasn’t fought since 2019, but if they were to book it, it’d be hard not to be intrigued by what might happen.

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#1. Zabit Magomedsharipov vs. Yair Rodriguez

It'd be hard not to get excited over a fight between Yair Rodriguez and Zabit Magomedsharipov

Over the years, we’ve seen a number of UFC fights that have seemingly been cursed to never happen, with Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Tony Ferguson instantly coming to mind, for instance.

One fight that could easily end up joining that list is Zabit Magomedsharipov vs. Yair Rodriguez. The two flashy featherweights have been matched against one another on a number of occasions in the past, most notably at UFC 228 in 2018, only for the bout to fall apart each time.

However, with Zabit now ready to return to action and Rodriguez returning from his own absence in late 2021, could 2022 be the year to re-book this clash?

The answer ought to be a resounding yes. After all, there’s a reason why the pairing had UFC fans salivating when it was first discussed nearly four years ago. Both Zabit and ‘El Pantera’ are amongst the most entertaining fighters on the whole UFC roster.

Quite what would happen in this fight is impossible to predict, given that both men are skilled in all areas and also fight with reckless abandon, particularly on the feet.

Given that Rodriguez appears to have lost no steam in his recent fight with Max Holloway, it could also be a very tricky fight for Magomedsharipov to return to action in.

However, a win over the Mexican could easily vault Zabit into instant title contention, meaning that the risk could well be worth the reward. Given how excited the fans were to see this clash the first time around, the UFC ought to book it again as soon as they can.