Zabit Magomedsharipov and 4 of the biggest What Ifs in UFC history

The UFC is under what is, arguably, the largest spotlight in combat sports. Many claim that it has eclipsed boxing, and as far as MMA is concerned, there is no organization that draws anything close to the attention it attracts from the world. So naturally, fans pay significant attention to its events and fighters.

There are matchups that viewers wish they could have seen but never came to fruition. In some cases, there are fighters who retire earlier than expected, leaving some fans wondering what would happen had they stayed in the promotion. What if certain champions hadn't vacated their titles?

Throughout its history, the UFC has had countless 'What if?' scenarios, most of which will never be answered. In fact, it is likely that all of them will never be answered, but they remain topics of interest, and these are 'What Ifs.'

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#5. What if Francis Ngannou had re-signed with the UFC?

Fans are well aware of the fact that former heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou and the UFC failed to come to an agreement during the negotiation phase after his contract expired following his title defense against former interim champion Ciryl Gane.

But what if things had gone differently? If Ngannou had elected to stay, there are two potential outcomes that could have happened. Both of them involve Jon Jones. A matchup between the two men was teased for years, but 'Bones' only made his heavyweight debut after Ngannou's departure.

Ngannou himself accused Jones of avoiding him, as the timing of his heavyweight debut was suspicious. Had 'The Predator' stayed, it's possible fans would have seen Ngannou defend his title against Jones in what potentially would have been the biggest heavyweight fight of all time.

However, if Ngannou was right about Jones avoiding him, then it's possible that the former light heavyweight would have never made his heavyweight debut and would have continued demanding more money from the UFC.

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#4. What if Georges St-Pierre hadn't vacated his middleweight title?

In 2017, Georges St-Pierre took part in one of the greatest pay-per-views of all time when he made his long-awaited return to competition against Michael Bisping. The two men clashed over the UFC middleweight title, with 'GSP' enthroning himself as the new champion with a third-round submission win.

Unfortunately, he vacated the title a month later after contracting ulcerative colitis. But what if he hadn't fallen ill and stayed champion instead? Back then, Robert Whittaker was the interim middleweight champion, having won the title against Yoel Romero, when the previous undisputed titleholder Michael Bisping was injured.

A healthy Georges St-Pierre would have likely faced Robert Whittaker in a fight as close to an 'NMF' bout that the promotion could have booked. It would have answered several questions about St-Pierre's standing in the division as his win over Bisping is often underplayed due to the Brit being perceived as beatable.

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#3. What if Daniel Cormier never cut down to light heavyweight?

Daniel Cormier and Cain Velasquez are best friends, so it made many fans wonder exactly how their careers as heavyweights would play out. Velasquez was the UFC heavyweight champion when 'DC' made his promotional debut. The two were also teammates in the American Kickboxing Academy.

They were against fighting each other, and given Daniel Cormier's feud with Jon Jones, 'DC' elected to move down to 205 pounds. It's similar to what Aljamain Sterling intended had he beaten Sean O'Malley. He would have moved up to featherweight to avoid fighting Merab Dvalishvili and allow him to pursue the title.

But had Cormier never cut down to light heavyweight, what would have happened? He might have accepted a role similar to Dvalishvili's, as he seemed content with fighting top contenders without ever getting a crack at the title so long as Sterling remained champion.

Alternatively, tensions would have risen between him and Velasquez, as Cormier's ambitions were too high to be kept at bay, and the two would have eventually fought for the title as they'd both kept winning.

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#2. What if Khabib Nurmagomedov never retired?

Khabib Nurmagomedov retired as the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world, undisputed lightweight champion, and with an unbeaten record. His retirement was due to a promise he had made to his mother after the death of his father and coach, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov.

She made him promise to stop fighting now that he no longer had his father in his corner. However, what if Nurmagomedov's competitive drive had kept him from retiring? Would he have remained undefeated or come to one day suffer a loss? The complexion of the lightweight division would be different.

Charles Oliveira's title fight with Michael Chandler would have likely become a title eliminator, and Nurmagomedov would have faced 'do Bronx' in an intriguing matchup, followed potentially by rematches with Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje if he remained victorious.

And instead of Islam Makhachev, featherweight kingpin Alexander Volkanovski would have faced 'The Eagle' himself.

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#1. What if Zabit Magomedsharipov had never retired?

During his time in the UFC, Zabit Magomedsharipov was regarded as a potential future UFC champion. He had an extremely well-rounded skill set, complete with flashy striking and high-level grappling skills, all punctuated by an inimitable streak of creativity. Furthermore, he was the tallest fighter at featherweight.

While he was lightning-quick, his cardio was always a drawback, as was his lack of power. The Dagestani phenom retired from MMA after growing frustrations over being avoided by other fighters and promised a title shot that never came. He then revealed, on social media, that he was training to become a doctor.

It's clear that the number of times the UFC failed to get him a top-level matchup, especially one against Yair Rodriguez, led to him leaving the sport. But had the promotion managed to keep him happy, he would stayed and potentially faced the likes of Max Holloway, Ilia Topuria, and Alexander Volkanovski.

However whether he would have become a champion can never be known, as poor cardio and an absence of stopping power on the feet could have led to severe issues against the likes of Holloway and Volkanovski.