Shara Magomedov was in need of a bounce back win for the first time in his career.
UFC Abu Dhabi saw several home crowd favorites get their hands raised, with Petr Yan defeating Marcus McGhee in the co-main event.
Before ‘No Mercy’ made the walk, Magomedov attempted to put his loss to Michael ‘Venom’ Page behind him by earning his fifth win inside the Octagon.
‘Bullet’ was a big favorite coming into his middleweight bout with Canada’s Marc-Andre Barriault.
While he didn’t produce another highlight reel finish in Abu Dhabi, Magomedov earned a hard-fought win over Barriault after overcoming a significant injury.
Shara Magomedov reacts to his bounce back win and fight of the night bonus after UFC Abu Dhabi
Shara Magomedov won all three rounds against Marc-Andre Barriault at UFC Abu Dhabi, outlanding his opponent with 93 significant strikes to 39.
The four and a half minutes of control time weren’t the only adversity that ‘Bullet’ had to overcome on July 26 after he was caught with a big shot in the second round.
Barriault landed a right hook as Magomedov was coming in and following up with several strikes in the clinch which broke his opponent’s nose, leaving the Russian’s face covered in blood heading into the third.
The striking specialist recovered and won the third for a convincing decision win where he was certainly tested.
This moment ended up helping both men to earn an additional check, with their fight receiving the fight of the night honors on Saturday night.
‘Bullet’, who reacted to his win by writing “I’m back!” on X, also responded to winning his fourth bonus in the UFC via a similarly short statement on social media.
Shara Magomedov praised Michael Bisping in his post-fight interview at UFC Abu Dhabi
Shara Magomedov has previously spoken about how he is inspired by a UFC legend who became a champion despite having to overcome a major hurdle.
Following his win in Abu Dhabi, ‘Bullet’ was able to say it to the fighter’s face during his post-fight interview inside the Octagon with Michael Bisping.
Magomedov and Bisping have both achieved success in the UFC regardless of their lack of vision in one eye.
“I’m really happy to see you, you’re my man. Brother, you’re a big motivation to me. Inshallah, step-by-step, I will become champion.”
It may not have been his best performance to date but this win was still huge for Magomedov following the first defeat of his career.