It wasn’t the co-headliner originally promised for UFC Abu Dhabi, but the middleweight bout between Shara Magomedov (or simply Shara Bullet) and Michal Oleksiejczuk remained a promising affair.
Magomedov vs. Oleksiejczuk replaced Nick Diaz vs. Vicente Luque on the Abu Dhabi card after visa issues prevented Diaz from traveling for the fight.
Shara Bullet started early with his kicks, got clipped, and was briefly sat down by Oleksiejczuk as the fight got underway. Oleksiecjczuk was doing his best to close the distance on Magomedov, however, Magomedov’s piercing striking was making it difficult for him. A well-timed elbow from Magomedov cut Oleksiejczuk open over his left eye. Whenever Oleksiejczuk attempted to pull the trigger, he was met by a sharp counterstrike from Magomedov. Magomedov rather impressively threw over 30 kicks in the first round.
Oleksiejczuk immediately got back in the face of Magomedov, attempting to get his own striking game going in the second. A big right hand from Magomedov briefly paused Oleksiejczuk, and re-opened the cut from the first round above his left eye. Magomedov was showcasing some sharp striking for the majority of the second round. With about 30 seconds left in the round, Oleksiejczuk managed to catch one of Magomedov’s kicks, take him down and get his back, but nothing came of it.
Magomedov was investing in the body work all fight, but it became obvious in the third round just how much it was bothering Oleksiejczuk. Magomedov’s lead leg played a huge role in this fight, head kicks, body kicks and leg kicks. Oleksiejczuk ripped Magomedov down with a single leg with a minute left in the round, but it was too little too late. A strong third UFC outing, on short notice from Shara Magomedov.
Official Result: Shara Magomedov defeats Michal Oleksiejczuk by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
