Shara Bullet had made a name for himself in a quick rise up the UFC’s middleweight division, but was looking to bounce back from his first loss in the company (and in his career) against Marc-Andre Barriault at UFC Abu Dhabi.
“Bullet” (Shara Magomedov) had come up short against Michael “Venom” Page in his last outing, while Barriault had returned to the win column, defeating Bruno Silva at UFC 315 in May.
Bullet was on the outside early, circling the cage as the slower but powerful Barriault stalked him. A vicious inside leg kick landed, stumbling Barriault, but he closed the distance moments later, landing a takedown. Magomedov used the cage to stand up, then fired an elbow off the break before returning to center.
Towards the end of the round, Magomedov fired off a spinning kick that saw him hit the canvas, and a more expertly executed question mark kick, the flash very much his trademark.
Plenty of action kicked off round two, Barriault pressuring, Shara firing a jump knee but falling short. A bit scrappy, but things would settle down a little, leading to shorter, though spirited, exchanges scattered throughout the first couple of minutes. Two minutes in, Magomedov would land a kick to the side of the head. Barriault ate it, and then in a clinch, began taking it to Shara Bullet. Moments later, Shara was bleeding, Barriault was clinching, and Magomedov was taking more shots to the head and body. Shara turned the tables, however, and with Barriault tiring, Magomedov rocked him! Barriault was tired, but retreated, Magomedov throwing up his hands in fustration when “Power Bar” escaped the round.
Round three saw Marc-Andre Barriault looking recovered, light on his feet and able to shoot in on a takedown. Magomedov fought that off, but still had the Canadian putting his weight on him. When they did end up back at center, a question mark kick grazed Barriault. Barriault would corner Shara against the fence again, but Magomedov didn’t stay there, clipping MAB. Towards the final minute, Shara Bullet opened up, firing jump kicks, spinning kicks, and getting on top care of a Barriault slip. No finish, but no lack of effort in an exciting fight in the running for Fight of the Night at UFC Abu Dhabi.
Official Result: Shara Bullet def. Marc-Andre Barriault by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
