Zabit believes UFC didn't want him as champion due to Russian dominance

Zabit Magomedsharipov has stated that he believes the UFC did not want to make him champion because of the dominance of Russian fighters in the promotion. He revealed that he wanted to fight but his bouts were postponed three or four times, making it difficult to reach an agreement. According to Zabit, there was an understanding that if Yair Rodriguez pulled out a third time, he would automatically receive a title shot. However, when that happened, the UFC found numerous excuses instead. The promotion then began offering him different opponents like Zombie and others, but Zabit felt that at the time, only he and Yair Rodriguez were the true contenders for the belt.