Zabit Magomedsharipov returns after seven years to face Giga Chikadze at RAF Abu Dhabi

Zabit Magomedsharipov is set to end a near-seven-year competitive absence when he faces Giga Chikadze at RAF Abu Dhabi on November 14 at Etihad Arena. Promotional officials confirmed the matchup, which reunites two veterans of the UFC featherweight division on the wrestling-focused card.

Magomedsharipov’s last MMA appearance came in November 2019, when he defeated Calvin Kattar in the main event of UFC Moscow. The 35-year-old Dagestani went a perfect 6-0 during his UFC tenure, with notable wins over Jeremy Stephens and a trio of stoppage victories, before stepping away from competition entirely.

Chikadze arrives at the event in a difficult run of form. The Georgian fighter, nicknamed “Ninja”, opened his UFC career with seven consecutive wins before suffering a lopsided unanimous decision loss to Kattar in January 2022. A subsequent victory over Alex Caceres has been his only bright spot since, as he has dropped his last four octagon appearances.

The Magomedsharipov–Chikadze bout is one of several high-profile matchups on the RAF Abu Dhabi card. Olympic wrestling champion Jordan Burroughs is also confirmed for the event, set to face Azamat Nurykau in a rematch of their dramatic 2019 World Championship meeting, which Burroughs won.

The event is headlined by a cruiserweight crossover championship bout between Colby Covington and Khamzat Chimaev.