Meet the controversial UFC prospect who is partially blind in one eye
A new and distinctive face will step foot in the octagon for the first time on Saturday as unbeaten prospect Sharabutdin Magomedov debuts at UFC 294.
Magomedov kicks off the pay-per-view card at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi when he fights Brazilian veteran Bruno Silva in the first fight of the night. The 29-year-old Russian is unbeaten in 11 professional fights but also has five wins that didn't go on his record because they took place under a modified ruleset.
Having dominated the regional circuit in Russia and Thailand for several years, Magomedov will look to carry over his success against the highest level of competition in the UFC. Magomedov's highlight reel contains an array of stunning knockouts which have left fans on the edge of their seats for his debut, so here's all you need to know about him...
Losing vision in his eye
It's never easy to fight with one eye and passing a pre-fight medical can be a fight in itself, just ask UFC great Michael Bisping. Thankfully for Magomedov, he isn't completely blind in his right eye but has been left with partial vision due to several complications. It took eight eye surgeries that put his career on hold for two years for Magomedov to get through the worst of the injury.
"There were such operations when an injection in the eye had to be made, where it was removed, one might say. At this time, local anaesthesia is administered, but you feel everything. They pierce it from two or three sides. I had many different stages, my eyes were tortured specifically. The doctor said the worst thing that can happen to your eye has already happened. Therefore, you can practice," Magomedov told The Athletistic.
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"It took a lot of money but at that time, I was under the care of my parents. I found myself in a difficult situation, I did not train for two years, I did not fight. In principle, you can divide my whole career into before and after this injury. After that, I collected my thoughts, my friends believed in me, and everything was fine."
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Sharabutdin Magomedov has partial vision in his right eye (shara_bullet77/Instagram)Mall brawl
Magomedov found himself in hot water last year when he confronted a man after a display of affection in public. The man brawled with Magomedov as bystanders quickly broke the scuffle up, but Magomedov waited outside for him later on. The MMA star knocked his victim unconscious with a single blow and shockingly stomped on his head after.
Magomedov insisted that his actions were out of order but insisted that public displays of affection are against a moral code in the Russian town of Makhachkala, which is where the incident took place. “One has to understand the situation, in Makhachkala there are unwritten rules, a kind of moral code of our own,” he told Sport1. “In Moscow it is acceptable [to show affection in public], but with us it is not acceptable. I could not shut up”.
“If it was a tourist or a stranger then you could just ask him to stop. I just wanted to tell him he was not behaving properly but I could not convey my message. He took it wrongly, there’s also a matter of pride. He hit me and it was unexpected, I suggested we talk about it, but he hit me. My last blow was definitely not necessary.”
Kicking opponent during jiu-jitsu match
Magomedov hasn't fought since winning by knockout in just eight seconds last December and in the hopes of staying active for his UFC debut, he took part in a jiu-jitsu competition earlier this year. Taking on Jakub Bilko at the ADCC Southeast Asia tournament, Magomedov was forced to tap out to a heel hook.
Just moments later, the Russian kicked his opponent and towered over him in frustration. Magomedov claims he spoke with Bilko, who is a leg lock specialist, before the match and the Polish grappler agreed to not attempt the submission as Magomedov's UFC debut was approaching.
Bilko gave a very different side to the story as he said on Reddit: "He was trying to explain something to me in Russian before the event. I don't speak Russian so I said I can't understand what he's talking about, I thought I was being threatened. That was our only interaction, how can I agree to something if I can't understand?
"I got some of my dudes to translate because I thought there was some beef there. It turned out that he was afraid of getting injured, I said 'Ah, ok'. but never said I wouldn't play my game with this guy. Even if it was worded in a straightforward way, I still wouldn't agree to that. It's just bizarre."
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