"That's like watching Honest Abe fight" - John McCarthy jokes about Zabit Magomedsharipov's resemblance to Abraham Lincoln, says his early retirement "is a shame"

John McCarthy is not happy about Zabit Magomedsharipov hanging up his MMA gloves. McCarthy believes it "is a shame" that a fighter of Magomedsharipov's caliber called for a sudden end to a promising career.

The former MMA referee also jokingly compared the Dagestani stand-out to Abraham Lincoln, owing to his resemblance to the former president of the United States.

However, 'Big John' won't be one to dissuade Magomedsharipov from retirement as he trusts the fighter to know what's best for himself. McCarthy recently said on an episode of Weighing In:

"What a shame. This is one that I go, 'Man, this is a shame.' Because this guy can fight. This guy is so good. He knows what's the right thing for him but this guy, he's undefeated in the UFC. He's been fantastic against anyone. He's got a win against Calvin. But injuries have cost him a lot of problems and he's just decided to call it quits. I never would say, 'Oh no, you shouldn't do it.' Cause he knows what's best for him but it's a shame to see it. Because I loved watching the guy fight. That's like watching honest Abe [Abraham Lincoln] fight."

Watch the latest episode of Weighing In below:

Zabit Magomedsharipov has been undefeated in his six UFC outings, which includes four bonus-winning performances. However, the Dagestani fighter's seemingly promising career has been plagued by injuries and disrupted fights, leading to inactivity since 2019.

While he has now recovered, Magomedsharipov doesn't feel the way he once used to. The 31-year old recently announced his retirement citing a series of medical issues and cancelled bouts.

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Aljamain Sterling confesses to being "ragdolled" by Zabit Magomedsharipov

Aljamain Sterling recently detailed an incident when he was asked to enter the cage with Zabit Magomedsharipov during a training session. The UFC bantamweight champion confessed to being "ragdolled" by the featherweight prospect.

According to 'Funk Master', Magomedsharipov had a huge size advantage over him even though they were only one weight class apart. Sterling also added that Magomedsharipov would be a nightmare matchup for him at that point in his career.

The UFC bantamweight champion said during a recent appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience:

“And he’s a lot bigger than me. I mean, although he’s only 45, but I didn’t realize how big he was till he took his shirt off. And he’s doing these sidekicks from both sides. I’m shooting in, he’s pulling me in and hitting me with these Sambo throws—judo throws—and I’m just getting ragdolled. I’m like, if I wanted to go up to ’45 at that point in my career? I’d be like—bro, that would be a nightmare matchup, ever. Like, me and Zabit just would not go well.”

Watch the clip below: