Zabit: I'm 2-3 fights away from a title shot (Conor vs Khabib, Yair Rodriguez)

I think it's good money for Dagestan.

Just the 50 000 dollars is 3 500 000 rouble. The average wage in Russia is about 35 000 per month. Dagestan is one of the poorest places in Russia so there it's even less. So just the bonus he is getting is huge money. Almost 10 years worth of wage for regular folks.

Wow, thats a staggering number then. Good for him. Thanks for the thread.
 
Sure, he's already 3-0 with 3 bonuses. 3 more wins against ranked opponents and you can't deny him a title shot.

It's not like FW has hundreds of contenders.
 
– What did you do for a living before fighting?

– I've always made a living by fighting, that's my job. I am in combat sports since I was a child, I fight for my parents, the fans and for my self of course.

Badass. This guy has GOAT potential.
 
– What is the most beautiful place in Dagestan?

– Khasavyurt

Khasavyurt :

maldives.jpg
 
Not that crazy to assume. At FW theres still Ortega and Frankie that need to face off with Holloway. Unless one of them beats Holloway and they go into one of those eternal rematch limbos, I dont think its crazy to assume that Zabit might get a TS in short time.
 
if he gets 3 wins in a row against progressively strong opposition I don't see why they won't give Zabit a title shot.
 
Rodriguez return fight will be Magomedsharipov? How many years will he take off after this? <6> <{dayum}>
 
I’m definitely high on Zabit, think he abuses that Yair kid, or hope...lol
<{jackyeah}>
 
zabit.jpg


One of the oldest and most respected sports newspapers in Russia, Sport-Express released a new big interview with Zabit Magomedsharipov today.

Here we go...

– What did you do in America after your fight?

– I stayed to help my friends, 14th of April Muslim Salikhov had his fight and 21st of April Magomed Bibulatov was supposed to fight. I helped them because we always prepare together. I also went to Las Vegas and had my hand treated, I had a little injury. UFC payed for everything.

– You extended you UFC contract, how many fights is it for?

– For 4 fights, I can't say the number, but it contains many zeros!

– Are you happy with the money in the contract?

– Yes! To be honest I didn't expect this. It's a very pleasant number.

– Will your next fight be in Moscow?

– Yes, I want to fight in september in Moscow. Most likely, my opponent will be Yair Rodriguez, but we still haven't signed the contract.

– Why will he be the opponent?

– I just read the news and it's written there that it will be Yair and that we'll have a good fight. For me, to be honest, it doesn't matter if it's him or not. I want to fight someone from top 10 - top 15.

– Yo had 3 victories in a row. How many more do you need to get a title fight?

– The new contract already contains conditions that I have to fulfill to get a title fight and how much money I will get for it. If I beat a top contender, they will give me the title fight. I think I have 2-3 fights left untill that.

– Was the last fight one of the bloodiest in your career?

– The opponent was a tough guy, I've seen his fights and I knew that we would have a rough fight, I was prepared for it. If it was bloody? I took some hits in the end when there was 15-20 seconds left untill the end, but I had to endure it. I knew that I would get a decision easy, for three rounds I dominated the fight. But my opponent showed a lot of character, in some episodes I got to emotional.

– You have a very entertaining style with spinning kicks and such. Is that a play for the crowd?

– Our sport is very entertaining and technical in general. Of course I'm making an effort for the crowd, the fans loves those kind of kicks. Also the bonuses depend on that!

– Khabib is advising you to learn english to become a star in the UFC. How is that going?

– Yes, I'm learning it. But I always train with guys from Dagestan, so it's hard learn english, because you're always speaking your language. I once came to US alone, then I learned a lot, but then the guys came over and the progress stopped. You have to stay in US for longer periods if you want to learn to speak english.

– If Khabib vs McGregor fight were to happen, who do you have as favorite? Does McGregor stand a chance?

– To be honest, I don't think this fight will happen. Conor understands himself that he's got no chance, that's why it's pointless for him to fight. Maybe one day, when he spends all of his money.

– What if you were to fight McGregor? I understand that it's the wrong weight class, but it's only 4 kilograms of difference, you can always go up or down a little...

– I don't see anything special about McGregor. His boxing is really good, but his wrestling is very weak. I think that I'm a lot better then him when it comes to wrestling. Maybe one day this fight will be possible, but not at the moment.

– Can somebody in the world out-wrestle Khabib at the moment?

– I think not. As long as Khabib is in good shape, there's probably no one who can beat him in wrestling.

– Have you sparred with him?

– We have different teams. He trains with his team and I with my. Once I went to the mountains to train with his team, but Khabib was not there at the time, maybe he was injured or trained somewhere else at the time. I liked that training camp, their team got good practices, especially when it comes to strength and conditioning training.

– Khabib often says that he had to fight a lot on the streets as a kid. Do you have similar story?

– Yes of course, that happens to everybody. I studied a martial arts boarding school, everyone's got something to prove. (Link to my post about Zabit's martial arts boarding school) During the first year I was fighting almost every day. Then everyone became friends and got along better. I don't have THE fight that I remember especially, they all were alike.

– What did you do for a living before fighting?

– I've always made a living by fighting, that's my job. I am in combat sports since I was a child, I fight for my parents, the fans and for my self of course.

– Is there anyone in the world who kicks better then you?

– When it comes to the feet, we have a similar style with Yair Rodriguez, that's why everyone thinks that it will be a good fight. He got good kicks, he kicks hard and he also kick spinning kicks....

– Who is stronger Chuck Norris or Bruce Lee?

– Bruce Lee

– What is the most beautiful place in Dagestan?

– Khasavyurt, where I was born.

– Do you still watch football (soccer)?

– Yes, I support Anzhi (Anzhi Makhachkala, local Dagestan club that plays in Russian Premier League). Anzhi is the champion! I started training football as my first sport, I still enjoy to play. When I have time I watch the games on TV.

Dude, thank you. That was an awesome read.

He's got that 'thing.'

Super humble, but I was thoroughly impressed with his last outing.

I see him as a contender, for sure.
 
Awesome thread, thanks.

He seems like a good sensible guy, always a pleasure to see not all UFC fighters are like Connor, Kevin Lee etc etc
 
Its sad because I had high hopes for yair.

But then I jumped ship
Unfortunately it seems like the holes in his game and the emotional tenacity to roll with a loss won’t get fixed due to self sabotage. Sounds like he let what little success he had in the octagon make him uncoachable, unfortunate because he’s obviously a talented fighter at a crossroad in his career
<Fedor23>
 
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