Zabit Magomedsharipov recently addressed his cardio concerns and says that he knows he doesn’t have the best endurance out there.
Magomedsharipov has been criticized over his cardio in his last two fights, after he appeared to slow down in the middle of the 2nd round against Jeremy Stephens and Calvin Kattar. The Russian fighter admits that he doesn’t have the best endurance, but says he still can go 5 rounds.
“I wouldn’t say that I’ve got the best endurance. I have no problems going five rounds during training. Sometimes my weight cut doesn’t go as planned. I can get sick,” Zabit Magomedsharipov said to the Russian media. “I use up a lot of energy, when you kick it takes a lot of you. If it’s just boxing, I can easily go five rounds. When you do the same thing all the time, it doesn’t take much energy.”
Zabit Magomedsharipov was frustrated by fans, who would come up and tell him he needs to work on his cardio. However, now he doesn’t pay much attention to it, as he knows he’s working on it with his coaches.
“At first it was annoying. Now, I don’t pay attention to it. Every other person I meet wants to talk about endurance. Everything’s okay, but it definitely gets tiring,” he said. “It must be contagious, every other person tells you the same thing. I have trainers, after all, they probably know what I’m missing. I know myself.”
Zabit Magomedsharipov is currently ranked No. 3 in the UFC’s Featherweight division. He sports a very impressive 18-1 professional record, 6-0 inside the Octagon and currently riding a 14-fight win streak.
The Russian fighter is expected to return to the Octagon on April 18 at UFC 249, where he is expected to face Brian Ortega, although this is not officially confirmed yet. Fans are hoping to see improved endurance from Zabit Magomedsharipov and getting his hand raised to earn the next title shot.
This article first appeared on CLOSEDGUARDMEDIA.com on 27th February, 2020.
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