But now the stage is set for “Bullet” to open the main card this Saturday in Abu Dhabi – headlined by Ilia Topuria vs. Max Holloway.

However, ahead of his clash with Armen Petrosyan, Shara Magomedov has revealed what an incredible influence UFC legend Michael Bisping has had on his career.

Michael Bisping's eye injury story touches Shara Magomedov

Bisping famously suffered an eye injury in 2013 but continued to fight his way through the middleweight rankings before becoming the first British UFC champion.

A headbutt from MMA legend Vitor Belfort ultimately caused permanent damage to Bisping's eye, forcing the fan favorite to continue his career with a handicap.

Nevertheless, the Brit was able to defeat Brazilian MMA icon Anderson Silva before securing the UFC middleweight title with a convincing first-round stoppage of Luke Rockhold.

And so Magomedov, who has been struggling with a similar injury since 2016, draws a great deal of motivation from Bisping's success.

“When it comes to Bisping, yes, he is a motivation because he is someone who has already gone down this path,” Magomedov said on Wednesday at the UFC 308 media day, which was streamed by MMA Junkie, among others.

“He paved the way and gave me an example, so it is much easier to follow the path of others than to feel in the dark.

“I think he motivates me and other people by saying that anything is possible.”

Shara Magomedov calls out Nick Diaz ahead of UFC 308

Following his win over Oleksiejczuk, Magomedov called out UFC veteran Nick Diaz for a striker-versus-striker duel in October.

Instead, Diaz returns to the octagon for the first time in over three years at UFC 310 on December 7 to face welterweight contender Vicente Luque.

And yet, despite his illustrious career, several MMA fans felt the 41-year-old should not compete.

Now that Magomedov is on his way to stardom, it might be better if he sets his sights on an opponent who could improve his ranking.

Related Posts