Shara Magomedov’s highly-anticipated UFC return saw him suffer a horror injury as he just about defeated Marc-Andre Barriault in his first fight coming off a defeat.
The fan-favorite Dagestani burst on to the scene with a string of impressive wins last year, but suffered his first loss back in February as Michael ‘Venom’ Page proved too much in Riyadh. Since then, he has been plotting a comeback and wasted little time heading back to the octagon.
He wasn’t given an easy route either, taking on 15-fight UFC veteran Barriault in his return to action. And both men ended up covered in their own blood after a gruesome three-round war of attrition that saw them both suffer gruesome cuts.
Shara Magomedov vs Marc-Andre Barriault result
Shara Magomedov was given a hero’s welcome for his return to Abu Dhabi, where he is one of the fastest-rising stars. He opened with leg kicks to keep the pressurising Barriault at bay, but ended up being taken down two minutes in, albeit with limited impact.
The striking of Magomedov looked a whole lot crisper than last time out as he moved around well, forcing Marc-Andre Barriault to pursue him around the cage. All the while, the Russian was kicking away at the leg, which looked rough after a matter of minutes.
The second saw both men open up a bit more, with Magomedov cutting his rival atop the head with an elbow within the first few minutes. Once he found his range, the Russian began to flow and feel the fight turn in his favor.
But as all began to look lost, Barriault caught Magomedov with a massive counter right hook that rocked the Russian. He followed it up with big uppercuts in the clinch as the fight became a real war.
Within that clinch, Barriault viciously broke Magomedov’s nose, leading to him wearing copious amounts of blood on his face. However, the Russian fought through and managed to rock him again, almost getting the finish in the closing seconds of round two.
The third was fought at a much slower pace after Magomedov’s corner demanded that he just move and score enough to win the round. However, when Barriault did engage the Russian was able to land big knees and kicks, ultimately securing the victory.
The judges scored the fight 30-27 across the board, but that did not tell the story of just how tough a fight he had. He even attempted some English in his post-fight interview with Michael Bisping, and insisted he wouldn’t repeat old mistakes by calling out opponents above his grade.
Shara Magomedov changed his tune after first defeat
Following his defeat to ‘MVP’, Magomedov had to deal with a number of health issues before preparing for his comeback. He also made a big attitude shift that has changed his perspective on fighting from an entertainment business to more of a solely sporting endeavor.
“I’ve said it before that I had health issues but at the same time I said that I felt twice as good as I felt before,” ‘Shara Bullet‘ admitted at the pre-fight media day. “But in reality, my coaches are saying that I could feel even better and be twice as good as I am right now.
“As long as I keep disciplined and approach this with the right mindset I can be great. Before I used to come into this just as an entertainer, just to entertain myself and my fans and have fun, it was like a hobby to me.
“Now I have a whole different mindset, it’s like a job to me. I think that I will be able to now keep moving forward.”
