Zabit Magomedsharipov Defeats Zalal At ACBJJ 22

Zabit Magomedsharipov won his first competitive match in nearly seven years Sunday, taking a decision over current UFC featherweight Youssef Zalal in the main event of ACBJJ 22 in Istanbul.

The seven-minute grappling bout was tight throughout, MMA Mania reports, with both fighters threatening at various points. Magomedsharipov did enough on the judges' cards to take the win in his first appearance since beating Calvin Kattar in November 2019. He walked away from mixed martial arts in 2022 with an 18-1 record and a perfect 6-0 UFC run that ended on a 14-fight streak. An injury had scrubbed his original ACBJJ 21 comeback date against Raul Rosas Jr.

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Belal Muhammad Submits Octagon Champion

In the co-main event, former UFC welterweight champion Belal Muhammad took the back of Kerim Engizek and finished him with a rear-naked choke. The submission was only the second of Muhammad's 24 professional wins — his other rear-naked choke came against Takashi Sato in 2019, per MMA Mania.

Elsewhere on the card, top UFC middleweight Brendan Allen defended his ACBJJ All-Stars title by heel-hooking Magomedrasul Gasanov, a Team Khabib Nurmagomedov member. Muhammad Mokaev, formerly of the UFC flyweight division, ground out a nine-minute decision over Moris Boleian. Ranked flyweight Asu Almabayev won an ACBJJ title by decision over Khalim Nazruloev.

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The event marked a clean sweep for the UFC contingent in Istanbul, with only Zalal taking a loss against one of the promotion's biggest what-ifs. Magomedsharipov never received a title shot despite six straight wins inside the Octagon.

Reported via:

• MMA Mania — ACBJJ 22 results: Zabit Magomedsharipov defeats Youssef Zalal, Belal Muhammad strangles opponent