Shara Magomedov is back next month as he continues his purple patch of activity while rising through the ranks.
The popular Dagestani middleweight was last out against Michal Oleksiejczuk in August, picking up the unanimous decision win after taking the fight on just over a weeks’ notice. It followed a June stoppage of Antonio Trocoli in his sophomore outing in Saudi Arabia.
He faces another veteran of the promotion for his third fight of the year, and is keen to showcase his abilities after slow last effort. The bout will fill out a card headlined by Ilia Topuria’s first featherweight title defence against Max Holloway.
Shara Magomedov books UFC return against Armen Petrosyan at UFC 308
Shara ‘Bullet’ Magomedov has regularly insisted that he wants to stay active in the UFC, after spending eight months on the sidelines following his debut. And he has been given that with two fights in quick succession this summer.
Now, the promotion have confirmed that he has another coming; taking on 8-3 Armen Petrosyan on the main card of UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi. He just fought there last month against Oleksiejczuk, and is back for his second taste of pay-per-view action.
Petrosyan is a veteran of five UFC fights after earning a contract on Dana White’s Contender Series back in 2021. He defeated Gregory Rodrigues in his debut and has since lost to Caio Borralho before beating AJ Dobson and Christian Leroy Duncan. Most recently he lost to Rodolfo Viera in February.
Shara Magomedov called out Nick Diaz after latest win
Magomedov is keen to build his profile worldwide, and had previously called for an even bigger name, albeit one who proved controversial. Following his victory over Oleksiejczuk, he made the claim that Nick Diaz, who has fought twice in the last decade, should return against him for a striker vs striker matchup.
“Nick Diaz, let’s go fight,” he said testing out his English on the Abu Dhabi crowd following his August win. “You striker, I’m striker, you old, I’m junior fighter. This is very interesting fight and popular with fans. Let’s go, Abu Dhabi, October.”
He further explained the callout in the post-fight press conference, telling reporters: “He was supposed to be here, he was supposed to fight in the co-main event, 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.”
Shara Magomedov wants to fight in America after star movie role
There has been questions raised surrounding Magomedov’s ability to fight in America, with Dana White telling media in June that he would be kept in the Middle East for the time being. After he traveled to the States for a movie role, it became clear that the issue was to do with his eye problems, and not a visa.
Magomedov only has one eye, which would make him ineligible to compete without very particular exceptions in any of the major fight states. But there are regions where the UFC has recent history that have previously allowed fighters with similar ailments.
“I was told that I might no be able to fight in some states,” he told Red Corner MMA prior to last month’s fight. “As it would take some special agreements. But I can still take part in many events in the United States.
“I just need to get my spot on those cards in good time, I was ready to fight in the US for my local fans. But you know that I still favor my fans from the CIS countries [Commonwealth of Independent States], good Russian men, people from the Caucasus.
“So I would like to fight according to their time zone so it would be convenient for them to watch my fights. If I fight in the US my fans will have to get up very early plus my corner men can’t get there as many of them don’t have the visa.”