Sharabutdin Magomedov, who made his UFC debut at UFC 294, claimed post-fight that Michael Bisping gives him motivation. The uncanny similarity between the two is that they both have issues with their right eye. Bisping was happy to receive this shoutout and replied to Magomedov through his Instagram Story.
In a short clip after the fight, Magomedov said, “Michael Bisping… You [give me] motivation. Very, very motivation. You champion. You champion”
Shara ‘Bullet’ Magomedov has a message for our very own @bisping 🥰#UFC294 | LIVE on TNT Sports & discovery+ pic.twitter.com/PQlt6LeElG
— UFC on TNT Sports (@ufcontnt) October 21, 2023
Bisping took to his Instagram story to write, “Congrats brother!”
Bisping fought more than half his career with two good eyes. However, in 2015, in a fight against Vitor Belfort, Bisping suffered a brutal eye injury. Since then, he used to scrape through in his medical tests before fights and somehow passed the 20/200 vision test. He even claimed that he lied to doctors to get through.
On the other hand, Magomedov suffered his injury during a training camp in Thailand. He went through several surgeries on his eye, however, the doctors could not help him. He is completely blind in his right eye.
The Dagestani fighter, however, holds an undefeated professional MMA record. he extended that record to 12-0 on his UFC debut at UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi.
Sharabutdin Magomedov picks up a unanimous decision victory to kick-start his UFC career
Magomedov’s debut was highly anticipated by the UFC fans. He is another in a long list of strong fighters from Dagestan. He was involved in several controversies before landing his foot into the Octagon, however, managed to rack up his first UFC win and extend an extraordinary undefeated record.
Magomedov faced Bruno Silva in a Middleweight bout in the undercard of UFC 294. Fans were disappointed with the amount of times Magomedov was taken down. In the second and third rounds, Silva got Magomedov down multiple times. However, Magomedov’s striking skills were on complete show. His strikes were calculated and he clearly hurt the Brazilian.
Sharaputdin Magomedov uses his world class kickboxing and vicious ground and pound from his back to earn a unanimous decision win over Bruno Silva in his promotional debut at #UFC294. 👏 pic.twitter.com/Ew0tRFXf6p
— Parry Punch (@ParryPunchNews) October 21, 2023
In the judges’ scorecards, it was revealed that Magomedov won all three rounds 10-9. All three judges scored the bout 30-27 in favor of Magomedov. The 29-year-old was known for knocking out his previous opponents, however, he won’t have it easy in the UFC.
Anyhow, Magomedov’s debut was a triumph. He has been touted as a future title holder in the Middleweight division. However, that is still a long way to go.