Shara Magomedov’s win over Michal Oleksiejczuk has been overshadowed by his outlandish callout during his post-fight interview.
The fascinating Dagestani kickboxer has been capturing the imagination of fans since signing with the promotion last year. And he moved to 14-0 this weekend in a short-notice fight at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, landing a solid decision win that keeps his middleweight star on the rise.
Magomedov is from the wrestling stronghold of Dagestan, but has a striking background and has shown questionable grappling. However, that hasn’t stopped him from continuing a winning run in his limited opportunities to get out.
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Shara Magomedov dominates Michal Oleksiejczuk to continue UFC winning streak in Abu Dhabi
Shara Magomedov continued his winning run under the UFC banner in a quickly-arranged co-main event at UFC Abu Dhabi on Saturday night. He faced a stern test in former light-heavyweight contender Michal Oleksiejczuk, and was unable to land a finish over the three rounds.
In the opening exchanges, Magomedov was put down by one of his rival’s shots as the pair traded big moments on the feet. But he ended up taking control throughout the second and third, finding his range and dictating the pace.
A key moment in the first saw Magomedov split his rival open with an elbow, causing a brutal gash which sustained throughout the fight. Eventually, he got the nod on all three scorecards, with just one judge giving a round to Oleksiejczuk.
Shara Magomedov controversially calls out Nick Diaz after latest win despite fight cancellation
Following his victory, Shara Magomedov took to the microphone with Daniel Cormier to call his hot for his next fight. However, he left fans scratching their heads as he called for a ‘striker vs striker’ matchup with the legendary Nick Diaz.
The middleweight legend was due to face Vicente Luque on Saturday night, but a travel issue cost him the fight. And promoter Dana White appears to have indicated that the fight won’t be rescheduled, leaving Diaz’s next fight plans unclear.
“Nick Diaz, let’s go fight,” he said testing out his English on the Abu Dhabi crowd who embraced him as almost a home fighter. “You striker, I’m striker, you out I’m junior fighter. This is very interesting fightand popular with fans. Let’s go, Abu Dhabi, October.”
Shara Magomedov believes win over Nick Diaz will make him ‘super popular’
Despite driving fans into a frenzy online, Magomedov doubled down on his callout during the post-fight press conference and pushed for the bout. He believes it will help to add to his popularity with supporters having already enticed them with his three UFC wins.
“He was supposed to be here, he was supposed to fight in the co-main event,” Magomedov told reporters. “Instead, I substituted him, he wasn’t able to fight. I think it’s not just for nothing, there’s a reason for that. I think I’d be honored to fight someone like him.
“I want to show that if I beat a big name like that, that’s what I need to fly up, to become super popular. So, that’s the last thing I need is just somebody with a huge name like him. I think it’s going to help me become a huge superstar.”
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