Thanks to Thibault Goulti, UFC Rotterdam just kicked off a couple of hours ago in exciting fashion. Don’t blink yet though, the thrills aren’t stopping anytime soon. This guy Zabit Magomedsharipov made his UFC debut against Mike Santiago and stole the show. Sure, it was only the third fight of the card and there are a lot more face-punching to be had, but we think you’ll agree after you see these highlights. Zabit is an absolute madmad.
Exhibit A: The Showtime Kick
😳 #UFCRotterdam pic.twitter.com/FfW98ufmPY
— UFC Fight Pass (@UFCFightPass) September 2, 2017
This cat is awesome. #UFCRotterdam pic.twitter.com/R8BPGyzxwl
— Jonnyboy (@Jonnyboy_6969) September 2, 2017
Body punch, left hook, jump spinning back kick, and then a Showtime Kick? There’s nobody putting together combinations like that. If you’re not sold on that alone, you probably should stop reading now because this is going to become an official Zabit Magomedsharipov bandwagon thread.
Exhibit B: More Sick Combos
#UFCRotterdam pic.twitter.com/oxcrvuGFuF
— Jonnyboy (@Jonnyboy_6969) September 2, 2017
#UFCRotterdam pic.twitter.com/TS60AUJWSH
— Jonnyboy (@Jonnyboy_6969) September 2, 2017
If there’s one thing you learn from watching Zabit, it’s that he doesn’t stay still and he doesn’t stay on the ground. We haven’t seen a debut this exciting since “groovy” Lando Vannata threw everything and the kitchen sink against Tony Ferguson. It seems like Zabit can hit you with anything and from anywhere, even above. Nowhere is safe.
This is definitely a featherweight fighter everyone needs to keep their eye on. Not only did he throw all of those wild techniques, but he finished Santiago with a rear naked choke. That takes Zabit Magomedsharipov to nine straight wins, eight of which he has won by finishing his opponents. As for what’s next, he called out Artem Lobov. The Russian Hammer is set to fight Andre Fili at UFC Gdansk, but that’s October 21st so there is plenty of time for Zabit and Lobov to get together.
Remember the name: Zabit Magomedsharipov. …If you can.
A Call-Out and a Choke-Out: This Case is Closed…
Artem Lobov gets called out by Zabit Magomedsharipov.
— Heidi Fang (@HeidiFang) September 2, 2017
Magomedsharipov def Santiago via RNC at (4:22) RND 2. #UFCRotterdam
pic.twitter.com/al88YAc0vh— McDuckMMA (@McDuckMMA) September 2, 2017
This article first appeared on BJPenn.com on 9/2/2017.