UFC fighters took over Istanbul.
Several current and former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) fighters competed at Absolute Championship of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (ACBJJ) 22 today (Sun., Aug. 30, 2026) inside ORA Arena in Istanbul, Turkey — and nearly all of them walked away victorious.
That included former top UFC Featherweight contender — and perhaps the biggest “what if” in promotional history — Zabit Magomedsharipov, who headlined the event against current UFC contender Youssef Zalal.
The seven-minute grappling match was incredibly competitive, with both fighters having their moments. In the end, Magomedsharipov did enough to earn the decision victory in his first competitive appearance since defeating Calvin Kattar in Nov. 2019.
Magomedsharipov retired from mixed martial arts (MMA) in 2022 with an 18-1 professional record, a perfect 6-0 UFC mark and a 14-fight winning streak. His return was originally scheduled for ACBJJ 21 against Raul Rosas Jr., but an undisclosed injury delayed his comeback.
Check out the highlights below:
In the co-main event, former UFC Welterweight champion Belal Muhammad submitted former Oktagon MMA champion Kerim Engizek, taking his back and strangling him with a rear-naked choke.
Interestingly, Muhammad has recorded only one submission across his 24 professional MMA victories — another rear-naked choke against Takashi Sato in 2019.
Top UFC Middleweight contender Brendan Allen also delivered a slick finish, submitting Magomedrasul Gasanov — a member of Team Khabib Nurmagomedov — with a heel hook to successfully defend his ACBJJ All-Stars title.
Former UFC Flyweight contender Muhammad Mokaev won a closely contested nine-minute grappling match against Moris Boleian via unanimous decision.
Finally, ranked UFC Flyweight Asu Almabayev defeated Khalim Nazruloev via unanimous decision to capture an ACBJJ title.
All in all, it was a dominant afternoon for the UFC contingent — even if Zalal had to take one for the team against one of the greatest fighters to never receive a UFC title shot.
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