Zabit Magomedsharipov says UFC denied him title shot due to Russian dominance

Zabit Magomedsharipov revealed he believes the UFC did not want him to become champion because of the already substantial presence of Russian champions in the promotion. He recounted that fights were postponed 3-4 times and that there was an agreement: if Yair Rodriguez pulled out a third time, Zabit would automatically get a title shot. Instead, he says the UFC found excuses and offered him other opponents like Chan Sung Jung. At the time, Zabit believed he and Yair were the true contenders for the belt, but the promised title opportunity never materialized.