Zabit Magomedsharipov says he'll be fighting top 5 opposition at UFC 249 – but it's not set yet
According to Zabit Magomedsharipov, he’ll be competing alongside fellow countryman Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 249 on April 18.
One of the UFC’s top featherweight contenders, Magomedsharipov (18-1 MMA, 6-0 UFC) has recently been linked to a fight against former title challenger Brian Ortega.
During UFC 247 fight week, UFC president Dana White told ESPN the fight was being worked on. However, Brian Ortega told ESPN he hadn’t heard about the matchup.
In a recent interview with RT Sport, Magomedsharipov confirmed the current plan is to compete at the April pay-per-view event. However, no opponent is set in stone at this time.
“Yes, it’ll be April 18, but I’m not sure who the opponent will be,” Magomedsharipov said. “There’s an opponent. He hasn’t been sent the bout agreement. Once he gets the contract, we can announce it.”
While he wouldn’t name his likely fight night foe, Magomedsharipov did confirm it would be a “top-5 fighter.”
Looking over the official UFC featherweight rankings, champion Alexander Volkanovski sits atop the list, with Max Holloway, Ortega, Magomedsharipov, Chan Sung Jung, and Yair Rodriguez rounding out the top five contenders – in that order.
Volkanovski looks likely to defend his title in a rematch against former champion Holloway in June, and Magomedsharipov said his potential opponent on April 18 isn’t from South Korea. That leaves Ortega and Rodriguez as the two fighters most likely to face Magomedsharipov, who has yet to taste defeat inside the octagon.