"Holy sh*t Abe Lincoln is in Paris" - Fans react to Anthony Pettis running into former UFC star Zabit Magomedsharipov
MMA fans have been left pleasantly surprised after Anthony Pettis shared a photo with former UFC star Zabit Magomedsharipov on social media.
Magomedsharipov is a former featherweight contender, who retired from MMA in 2021, while ranked No.3 in the division. He had yet to lose a bout during his UFC tenure (6-0) and was touted as a future champion.
His last bout in the organization came against Calvin Kattar in 2019, where he won via unanimous decision. Following the fight, it was reported that Magomedsharipov had begun suffering from serious health issues regarding his immune system. While he was then expected to return after recovering, he ultimately called time on his career aged just 31 to become a doctor.
Although he is no longer fighting, Magomedsharipov has been coaching his younger brother, Khasan, who competes in Bellator. Zhabit Magomedsharipov was then spotted in Paris, France for the upcoming Bellator Champions Series 2 event, which takes place on May 17.
Anthony Pettis shared the photo of the pair together, captioning the post:
"Ran into a stranger in Paris👀"
Check out Anthony Pettis' post here:
Fans have been reacting to the photo, with many happy to see Magomedsharipov out-and-about looking healthy. One fan even hilariously compared his current look to that of former US President Abraham Lincoln:
"Holy sh*t Abe Lincoln is in Paris"
Another fan said:
"Nice! I miss watching that dude fight."
One fan wrote:
"ZABIT! Love that dude. Such a shame he had to retire early. Quality technician."
Another added:
"He could've been a champion😭"
X user @sadbagels wrote:
"Zabit we miss you. Pls come home."
Check out more reactions here:
When Anthony Pettis shared advice he would give to his younger self
Anthony Pettis recently reflected on the highs and lows of his career, and shared the advice he would have given his younger self in order to better prepare him for what's ahead.
'Showtime' has achieved a number of accolades throughout his career, which includes picking up the lightweight titles in WEC and the UFC. While his PFL career didn't quite go to plan, he is still enormously proud of what he did in the octagon.
Speaking exclusively to Sportskeeda MMA, Pettis looked back on his time in the cage and said:
"Keep going, man. The biggest thing is learning from your failures. I used to be so afraid to fail. I think when you have success like I had, that really quick success. You know, I fought four times in the WEC, world champion. Supposed to fight for the UFC world title. Like, it happened really quick. You get afraid of failure."