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Zabit Magomedsharipov continues to be on the rise. He's on a 6-fight win streak in the UFC and just came off a victory against Calvin Kattar in his first main event in Moscow. He's now ranked #5 following a unanimous decision victory against Kattar and according to the Russian, he's fully deserving of the next title shot after Max Holloway versus Alexander Volkanovski.
In the post-fight interview with ESPN, Zabit praised Kattar for being tough (H/T MMA Fighting):
“We didn’t expect him to block so much, so I had to kick him in the legs. This is what was different from our expectations.”
He cited an infection that he obtained in Thailand as the reason for him getting tired in the third round. When asked about the UFC 245 co-main event between Max Holloway and Alexander Volkanovski, Zabit said that he wants to face the winner of that bout:
“I will also be happy to face the winner of this upcoming fight."
“I think I fully deserve the title fight and after enough preparation, I should be more than ready to have a go at the title.”
It's going to be interesting to see where he stands. While he has been on an upward rise, his cardio in the third round has been the subject of much criticism and most people don't buy him as a legitimate threat to reigning champion Max Holloway should the Hawaiian overcome Volkanovski.
It could even be argued that Volkanovski is a tough stylistic match-up for Zabit and many believe that should Korean Zombie defeat Brian Ortega at Busan at the end of the year, he would be deserving of a title shot. Moreover, Zombie versus Holloway would be a far more marketable match-up, which probably means that Zabit would need to get one more win to secure a shot.
Perhaps a meeting with Yair Rodriguez would determine the next contender in line. Whatever it is, the Featherweight division is filled with exciting match-ups in the coming year.
