The Korean Zombie calls out Zabit Magomedsharipov: “This is a fight that would bring the fans to their feet”

UFC featherweight The Korean Zombie called out Zabit Magomedsharipov, saying “This is a fight that would bring the fans to their feet.”

TKZ is coming off of a surprising one-sided decision defeat to Brian Ortega on Fight Island in October. It was a disappointing loss for TKZ, who was coming off of back-to-back knockout wins over Frankie Edgar and Renato Moicano. However, he is still ranked No. 5 overall in the UFC featherweight rankings, so despite the loss to Ortega, TKZ would likely only need another win or two to jump back into title contention at 145lbs.

After losing to Ortega, TKZ is ready to get back into training camp and get a fight in early 2021. Speaking to MMAjunkie.com, TKZ said that he wants to return early next year and when he does he wants to fight Magomedsharipov, who had a tough 2020 after a fight with Yair Rodriguez fell through several times. Although Magomedsharipov is ranked No. 3 overall, at this point he just needs to fight and No. 5 TKZ is available. If Magomedsharipov accepts the fight, TKZ promises the fans they will put on a war.

“This is a fight that would bring the fans to their feet. (We) are both entertainers and extremely competitive, so I think he’d like to step in the Octagon with me. A win for both of us would mean a lot for our careers, and it would be an amazing match. The ball is in Zabit’s court (but) I want this fight to kick off 2021,” TKZ said.

“I want Zabit (Magomedsharipov). That’s the fight that’s going to get me closest to a title shot. More than that, I want to once again try to prove myself against one of the hottest fighters in the division and prove that I’m still capable of competing at the highest level. Of course, I would understand if he doesn’t want to fight me.”

On paper, this is a really fun matchup for the fans. Both TKZ and Magomedsharipov are very aggressive and violent fighters who are at the top of their division. Like TKZ said, if Magomedsharipov is only looking to fight someone ranked above him, then it makes sense for him to wait for someone else to become available. But if Magomedsharipov is okay with fighting someone ranked two spots below him, then TKZ is his man.

Would you like to see The Korean Zombie fight Zabit Magomedsharipov?