Retired Zabit Magomedsharipov returns to face UFC's Rosas Jr. in Moscow grappling main event

Zabit Magomedsharipov will end a six-year absence from competition on July 5, headlining an ACBJJ grappling event in Moscow against UFC bantamweight Raul Rosas Jr. in a 155-pound no-gi contest. The Russian, now 35, last fought in 2019 and formally retired from MMA in 2020.

Magomedsharipov had originally been linked to a match with Dan Hooker at the event, but it is Rosas Jr. — ranked No. 13 in the UFC’s official bantamweight rankings — who will instead take on the former featherweight contender. UFC welterweight Rinat Fakhretdinov versus Armen Petrosyan is set as the co-headliner.

The Russian talent retired with an 18-1 professional record, capping his UFC tenure with six consecutive victories including wins over Jeremy Stephens and Calvin Kattar in 2019. He stepped away after yet another cancelled bout with Yair Rodriguez, later revealing that repeated fight cancellations and the belief that the UFC “didn’t want to make me a champion” drove his decision to leave.

Rosas Jr. arrives in Moscow in strong form, having gone 5-0 since 2023 and improving his UFC record to 6-1 following a decision victory over Rob Font this past March. The 21-year-old does have prior grappling match experience, having competed against Deiveson Figueiredo in Brazil — a contest that ended in a draw after neither man could secure a submission.

The ACBJJ event marks Magomedsharipov’s first competitive appearance of any kind since his UFC exit, and while it falls outside the MMA cage, it offers a rare chance to see one of the sport’s most technically gifted fighters back on the mat.