MMAfighting.com
Khabib Nurmagomedov won’t be the only Dagestani supernova fighting at Barclays Center next month.
Top prospect Zabit Magomedsharipov will return to the cage to face Kyle Bochniak in a lightweight matchup at UFC 223 on April 7 in Brooklyn, the UFC officially announced Tuesday. Magomedsharipov previously posted about the matchup last month on his social media.
Magomedsharipov (14-1) has a pair of Performance of the Night bonuses in his only two UFC fights thus far, a pair of submission victories. The Dagestan native, who fights out of New Jersey, most recently knocked off Sheymon Moraes at UFC Shanghai in November. Magomedsharipov, 27, has not lost since 2013 and has won 12 of his 14 victories via finish.
Bochniak (8-2) is coming off a unanimous decision win over Brandon Davis at UFC 220 in January. The Massachusetts native has won two of three in the UFC. Bochniak, 31, has only been a pro fighter since 2014.
UFC 223 will be headlined by an interim lightweight championship fight between interim champion Tony Ferguson and Khabib Nurmagomedov. UFC president Dana White has said it will be the for the “real” title, though champ Conor McGregor has not yet been stripped. In the co-main event, Rose Namajunas will defend her women’s strawweight title against the woman she beat for it in November, Joanna Jedrzejczyk.
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