The shortest way to the championship: how to make Magomedsharipov the first contender for the UFC featherweight title

Dominant performance in the battle with Kattar

Zabit Magomedsharipov ranks fifth in the UFC featherweight rating and has one of the longest win-win series among the ten strongest fighters of the division. The Russian won in the last five fights under the auspices of the largest MMA promotion in the world, which even current champion Max Holloway cannot boast of. In fairness, a successful series of 13 Hawaiian fights was interrupted in the battle with Dustin Porier, which was held in lightweight.

According to this indicator, Magomedsharipov is second only to Aleksander Volkanovsky, who won six battles in a row. Thanks to this, it was the Australian who earned the right to meet Holloway at the UFC 245 tournament in Las Vegas, while the Russian got the 11th number of the Calvin Cattar rating.

However, it should not be ruled out that the upcoming fight will allow Magomedsharipov to rehabilitate for not the most colorful performance in the fight with Jeremy Stevens and get the title fight. The Russian is required to take the upper hand over the American as brightly and confidently as possible and show that high-class opponents do not cause him any difficulties. In the UFC, he became famous primarily as an incredibly spectacular and inventive athlete, able to arrange a real show in the octagon. If in Moscow he will be able to perform no worse than in the battles with Kyle Bochnyak and Mike Santiago, then the recognition of the leadership of the promotion is guaranteed to him.

It is possible that the matchmakers kept this in mind when picking up an opponent’s Zabita. Kattar prefers to fight in a stance and practically does not resort to fighting, has quick arms and knockout strength. He can rightly be called a dangerous opponent for Magomedsharipov, but also those who are able to help him reach the first place in the championship race. The main fight of UFC Fight Night 163 will surely turn out to be spectacular and uncompromising, and in the Absolute Fighting Championship they have repeatedly shown that they pay attention not only to the skill of the athletes, but also to their ability to delight the audience.

It’s enough to take the example of Conor McGregor or Cody Garbrandt, who paved the shortest paths to the belt with bright knockouts. So, both had five fights, after which they got a chance to compete for the championship. True, due to an injury to Jose Aldo, the Irishman first won the interim title, while the American immediately took the absolute.

"Fight of the Year" with Rodriguez

In the event that Magomedsharipov will not be able to conquer the UFC with his performance in Moscow, the leadership may require him to hold another match. Despite the presence of more illustrious and status fighters, Yair Rodriguez, whom he should have met earlier, may well become Zabit's opponent.

So, the battle between one of the organization’s most outstanding athletes was supposed to beautify the UFC 228 tournament, but due to a Mexican injury, it had to be canceled. A little-known Brandon Davis came to replace him, who was unable to oppose anything to the masterly counterpart. Magomedsharipov not only easily dealt with him, but did it very effectively. For one and a half rounds, he dominated the opponent, after which he held a leg reception, known as “Suloevsky cross”. Subsequently, for him he received the award "Pain of the Year."

For a long time, practically no mention was made of a possible meeting between Zabit and Yair, but in mid-October there was an occasion to think again about its organization. Rodriguez followed the example of Magomedsharipov and prevailed over Stevens. But if the fight with the participation of the Russian turned out to be not the most colorful, then the Mexican arranged a real show in the cage. He acted inventively, unpredictably and almost knocked out the American in the second round. True, he left too much strength and then he was close to an early defeat. The audience was delighted with the battle, and the UFC recognized it as "Fight of the evening."

Rodriguez won his second victory in a row and reiterated claims for the title. It is worth noting that two years ago he was already considered as one of the main applicants for the trophy, but could not meet expectations. In May, he lost to Frankie Edgar and took a step back in his career.

Thus, the fight between Zabit and Yair can not only determine the future contender for the title, but also become one of the highlights of the year in MMA. Two athletes of this class and skill level are almost guaranteed to please the audience with a memorable performance that may be worthy of the title “Fight of the Year”. After that, the UFC is unlikely to decide to ignore Magomedsharipov and give him a chance to compete for the championship.

Victory over Ortega

Another proven option to achieve a title fight is to defeat a former challenger or ex-champion. But if Jose Aldo and Frankie Edgar have already left the featherweight and decided to go down a category lower, then Brian Ortega remained in the ranks. In December, the American will make his long-awaited return after losing to Holloway and fight with Jung Chan Son.

Apparently, it was after this that the UFC will decide on the next fight for the title. At this point, the results of the battles between Magomedsharipov and Kattar, as well as between Holloway and Volkanovsky, will already be known. Consequently, match makers will at least have a complete picture of the division.

Ortega is unlikely to immediately get another chance to take the belt, but with a high degree of probability will return to the number of candidates. Despite the skill of “Korean zombies”, it is the American who is the favorite of this fight and has all the qualities to succeed. In this case, the second rating number may well break into the champion race and demand a fight with Magomedsharipov.

It is worth noting that everyone can benefit from this situation. Spectators will get another interesting fight, and Zabit is the surest chance to get the right to argue for the championship. If the success in the battles with Cattar and Rodriguez may leave some questions, due to the not perfect track record of both, then the victory over Ortega will definitely lead him to the title.

In the UFC, Brian won six early victories, having dealt with a number of top fighters of the division, including Renato Moikano, Cab Swanson and the same Edgar. There could be seven, but the result of the match with Mike de la Torre was canceled due to a failed doping test. Ortega's only defeat was from Holloway, which is hardly a failure. Since 2014, the Hawaiian has not lost a single battle in the featherweight category.