The Zabit Magomedsharipov return is real, but it is not happening in a cage. The former UFC featherweight, who has not fought in MMA since 2019, is booked to face Giga Chikadze in a welterweight crossover match at Real American Freestyle’s first Abu Dhabi event on November 14, 2026, at Etihad Arena on Yas Island.
That matters because Zabit left the sport at 18-1 and unbeaten in six UFC appearances, one of the most frustrating “what if” stories of the last decade. A wrestling league is not the octagon, yet it is the first time in years fans get to see him under a big promotional banner.
How the Zabit Magomedsharipov return came together
The first step came from his own camp. His manager, Ali Abdelaziz, said in early October that the Dagestani had signed a multi-fight contract with RAF, a freestyle wrestling league that has been pulling in big MMA names. A few days later, RAF added five new matchups to the Abu Dhabi card, and Zabit vs Chikadze was one of them, according to Sherdog.
RAF has tied the show to a five-year deal with Abu Dhabi’s Department of Culture and Tourism and the UAE Wrestling Federation. Khamzat Chimaev and Colby Covington headline for the promotion’s cruiserweight crossover title, which puts the Zabit Magomedsharipov return on a card clearly built to draw MMA fans.
The Abu Dhabi date and the headliner are listed on the official RAF website, which bills the league as an unscripted pro wrestling competition for elite athletes.
Zabit Magomedsharipov record: 18-1 and perfect in the UFC
Before judging the Zabit Magomedsharipov return, it helps to remember how good he was. His only professional defeat came early, an armbar loss to Igor Egorov at ProFC 47 in April 2013. He then won his next 14 fights, a run that took in the ACB featherweight title and an ACB Grand Prix before a 6-0 stretch in the UFC that began on September 2, 2017.
| Date | Event | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 2, 2017 | UFC Fight Night 115 | Mike Santiago | Win, rear-naked choke, R2 |
| Nov 25, 2017 | UFC Fight Night 122 | Sheymon Moraes | Win, anaconda choke, R3 |
| Apr 7, 2018 | UFC 223 | Kyle Bochniak | Win, unanimous decision |
| Sep 8, 2018 | UFC 228 | Brandon Davis | Win, submission, R2 |
| Mar 2, 2019 | UFC 235 | Jeremy Stephens | Win, unanimous decision |
| Nov 9, 2019 | UFC Fight Night 163 | Calvin Kattar | Win, unanimous decision |
The overall split is 6 knockouts, 7 submissions and 5 decisions. His UFC athlete profile shows why he was so hard to prepare for: 4.89 significant strikes landed per minute, 5.22 takedowns per 15 minutes and a 78% takedown defense rate. Few featherweights paired that much volume with that much grappling.
Why he walked away, and what he did next
Zabit retired from MMA in 2022, pointing to a run of canceled fights and health issues. He then turned toward a career in medicine, which seemed to close the book for good.
Grappling reopened it, and that is where the Zabit Magomedsharipov return really started. He was scheduled to meet Raul Rosas Jr. at ACBJJ 21 in July but pulled out with an injury that was never detailed. One month later, at ACBJJ 22, he competed for the first time in close to seven years and beat Youssef Zalal by unanimous decision in a grappling match.
Wrestling is not a strange fit. His UFC bio says he started freestyle wrestling at 10 before adding kickboxing and Wushu-Sanda, a Chinese kickboxing discipline. He collected a European Wushu-Sanda title and a Wushu-Sanda World Cup before his MMA career even began.
What we know about Zabit vs Chikadze
Chikadze, nicknamed “Ninja,” is a UFC featherweight with a 15-7 record and 9 wins by knockout. His latest outing came against Joanderson Brito at UFC 331 on September 19. His base is karate rather than wrestling, so he faces a bigger adjustment on paper than Zabit, who wrestled as a child.
Some things are still unclear. RAF has said the Tsarukyan vs Neiman Gracie match on the same card runs under freestyle wrestling rules, but the announcement did not spell out the format for the Zabit bout. No weigh-in figure or round structure has been made public either.
- Confirmed: November 14 date, Etihad Arena venue, welterweight crossover label.
- Not yet known: exact scoring, match length, and whether the deal leaves room for a return to MMA.
For fans who followed earlier RAF cards, such as Gable Steveson’s RAF debut against Alexandr Romanov, the pattern is familiar: an MMA name with a strong base, matched against another crossover athlete.
Frequently asked questions about Zabit
When is Zabit Magomedsharipov’s next fight?
His next match is against Giga Chikadze at RAF Abu Dhabi on November 14, 2026. It is a wrestling crossover, not an MMA bout.
Why did Zabit Magomedsharipov retire?
He stepped away from MMA in 2022 after a string of canceled bouts and health issues, then pursued a career in medicine.
What is Zabit Magomedsharipov’s UFC record?
He went 6-0 in the UFC between 2017 and 2019. His full pro MMA record is 18-1.
What the Zabit Magomedsharipov return can tell us in Abu Dhabi
Watch his conditioning and his hand fighting more than the final score. At 35 and seven years removed from the cage, a sharp showing against an active UFC featherweight would make the Zabit Magomedsharipov return feel like more than a novelty, and it would reopen the question every fan has asked since 2019. A flat one would answer it.