Shara Magomedov improved his UFC record to 4-0 with a unique knockout victory over Armen Petrosyan and expressed his desire to fight Israel Adesanya, declaring himself the best striker in the middleweight division.
For “Shara Bullet,” practice makes perfect. No kidding.
Shara Magomedov didn’t just improve his UFC record to 4-0 on Saturday—he executed a never-before-seen finish. Armen Petrosyan went down after back-to-back spinning backfists in the UFC 308 main card opener. Boom!
It was the biggest moment of Magomedov’s short run with the promotion. He elaborated on this career-best performance at the post-fight press conference.
“I’ve been practicing this technique since my Muay Thai days,” Magomedov said, speaking through a Russian translator. “In MMA, I couldn’t throw it because people would wrestle me. But this time, it was a high-level striker—a chess match—and I surprised him.”
Magomedov’s UFC victories include Petrosyan, Michal Oleksiejczuk, Antonio Trocoli, and Bruno Silva. Overall? He’s 15-0, with 12 wins by knockout. Impressive!
In his post-fight interview, Magomedov declared himself the best striker in the middleweight division. He called for a fight with two-time UFC champion Israel Adesanya. His pursuit of Adesanya goes way back to their kickboxing days.
“I used to chase Israel Adesanya when he fought kickboxing in China,” Magomedov reminisced. “Now that he’s switched to MMA and I’m here, I’m ready to capture all the land. Macau, Saudi Arabia—it doesn’t matter where we fight.”
“I’m in no rush,” Magomedov added later. “The only way for Israel Adesanya to avoid fighting me is to retire.” Bold words!
When the UFC updates its rankings Tuesday, there’s an outside shot Magomedov ends up with a number next to his name. If not? He’s got other names in mind to climb the list if the Adesanya bout doesn’t happen.
“Of course, I’d like to fight Israel Adesanya to prove I’m the best striker,” Magomedov said. “But I’d also like Marvin Vettori to test my wrestling. Kevin Holland, Michel Pereira—they excite me too! Our division’s full of predators and sharks, but pirates? There’s only one: me.”