Andre Fili wants fight with Zabit Magomedsharipov

With news that the UFC has released Yair Rodriquez for turning down a fight against Zabit Magomedsharipov for UFC 227 in LA, it appears that UFC fighter Andrew Fili is ready to step up to the challenge to face the Russian prospect Zabit Magomedsharipov. 18-5 overall as a professional Andrew Film represents the Team Alpha Male gym in Sacramento California. Currently riding a 2 fight win streak, Fili has beaten Dennis Bermudez and Artem Lobov via decision after a loss at UFC 214 to Calin Kattar.

With a KO loss to Yair Rodriguez on his record from 2016, Fili has faced top prospects before, however Zabit from Team Ricardo Almeida Jiu Jitsu is a 15-1 record that hasn’t lost since an armbar upset to Igor Egorov at Pro FC 47 in 2013. The Dagestani wrestler turned MMA fighter is a perfect 3-0 in his UFC career with submission wins over Mike Santiago and Sheymon Moraes after a decision over Kyle Bochniak at UFC 223.

UFC 227? @zabit_mma @seanshelby pic.twitter.com/p8TaWChHah

— Andre Fili (@TouchyFili) May 17, 2018

Zabit is considered an important part of the UFC’s expansion plans into Russia, especially in light of the promotional announcement that the date and venue for their first trip to Russia is planned. While Yair has turned down the fight for UFC 227, it is believed the UFC would still like the Russian fighter to compete in LA before booking him on the UFC Moscow Fight Night event.