Zabit Magomedsharipov set to grapple UFC featherweight

Former UFC featherweight Zabit Magomedsharipov is returning to competition in grappling, facing top-ranked UFC featherweight Youssef Zalal in the main event of ACBJJ 22 in Istanbul, Turkey, on August 30. The match will be contested at 154 pounds.

Magomedsharipov, who retired from the UFC in 2020, was expected to make his grappling comeback last July against Raul Rosas Jr. but withdrew due to an undisclosed injury. Zalal comes off a recent UFC main-event loss to Aljamain Sterling in April, a setback that snapped his nine-fight unbeaten streak at the promotion. During that run, five of Zalal's victories came by submission.

The card also features former UFC welterweight champion Belal Muhammad, who will grapple against former Oktagon titleholder Kerim Engizek in a 198-pound match. Muhammad is riding a three-fight losing streak in the UFC, most recently dropping a decision to Gabriel Bonfim, though he was victorious in a wrestling match against Ben Askren in RAF. Engizek had compiled a 17-fight MMA winning streak before suffering back-to-back title losses to Krzysztof Jotko in 2026.