How Shara Magomedov Gained Notoriety
Making a splash within the huge ocean of blended martial arts generally is a problem for at present’s up-and-coming fighters. Trying to face out from the gang in a UFC roster bursting on the appears with signings from Dana White’s Contender Sequence, The Final Fighter and Highway To UFC can appear to be a gargantuan process, and solely a choose few handle to achieve massive quantities of traction with the fanbase.
Shara Magomedov (15-0) is one fighter who appears to have stumbled upon that magic method. “Bullet” has garnered extra headlines than most throughout his 14-month tenure on the earth’s main promotion. The Russian possesses the appropriate mix of components that may assist a fighter seize the eye of MMA followers.
His unbeaten file, his thrilling striking-heavy preventing fashion, and his distinctive look all helped to mark the middleweight’s card as “one to look at” when he made his debut contained in the Octagon in October of 2023.
Magomedov’s Fascinating Origins
Not solely does Magomedov, who trains out of the famed Gor MMA in Moscow, stand out as a result of his Pirate-like look, the 30-year-old has additionally had one of many extra attention-grabbing roads to the highest of the game.
“In Russia, Shara Bullet was a really well-known fighter even earlier than he entered the UFC” explains Denis Geiko of Purple Nook MMA, Russia’s main English language MMA information outlet.
“He made himself well-known by plenty of Russian MMA leagues. YouTube MMA, additionally recognized right here as ‘Pop MMA’ which is a time period for the YouTube leagues right here that are stuffed with semi-professional fighters who make plenty of noise with these loopy press conferences which typically go viral.
“Shara had a superb variety of fights in these leagues and he grew to become well-known inside that group. In a while when he started preventing in main organisations he introduced these followers together with him”.
Magomedov appeared to hit the bottom working on the PR entrance from the second he signed with the UFC. Geiko attributes this to “Bullet” already being considerably of a recognized amount earlier than ever signing a contract with the world chief.
“When he grew to become larger and signed with the UFC” says Geiko, “these followers adopted him so he had an enormous fanbase as quickly as he hit the massive time, some followers who possibly weren’t essentially following the UFC beforehand. With such a giant following he was clearly catching plenty of consideration as a result of his distinctive look and his distinctive preventing fashion and his backstory.
“Even earlier than he made his debut contained in the Octagon we already had a brief documentary about Shara on our Purple Nook YouTube channel. All of because of this he was so fast to achieve recognition as a result of he already had such a fanbase and already had the media’s consideration”.
Magomedov has gained all 4 of his appearances contained in the Octagon thus far, the spotlight being a knockout-of-the-year contender in his final outing towards Armen Petrosyan at UFC 308.
Whereas his entertaining preventing fashion is definitely serving to to develop his profile as an thrilling expertise within the middleweight division, his willingness to work together with each the followers and the media can also be enjoying it’s half.
“A variety of Russian journalists have been following him, doing interviews and he’s very, very pleasant with the media” explains Geiko. “He spends time talking with all people, makes positive everybody will get their soundbites. He would by no means actually say “no” to anyone.
“Perhaps now that’s going to be totally different as a result of he’s drawing a lot consideration and so many individuals requesting interviews however he’s the kind of fighter who actually cares concerning the media, actually cares concerning the followers and he offers all people his time. This has been a giant motive why he’s captured the creativeness alongside together with his unorthodox preventing fashion, unorthodox look and his attention-grabbing journey”.
Simply The Starting
Magomedov’s beautiful victory over Petrosyan in October helped him to interrupt into the UFC’s middleweight rankings. With an enormous co-main occasion towards former Bellator contender Michael “Venom” Web page lined up for Febrauary’s UFC occasion in Saudi Arabia, it appears the UFC matchmakers like the thought of being the Shara Bullet enterprise, and may the Russian handle so as to add the title of “MVP” to his listing of conquests, he could discover himself fielding provides for fights towards a few of the elite names at 185 lbs.
“I feel the extra well-known he turns into, the extra followers are going to wish to know extra about him” says Geiko. “For us journalists and the hardcore followers who comply with each single occasion, we already know all about Shara, however the informal followers who possibly simply watch the massive pay-per-view occasions he’s simply starting to seem.
“I feel if he will get a couple of extra fights on massive PPV occasions or if he fights in the US he’s going to turn into even larger. He might be one of many main stars on the earth of MMA. He likes to struggle typically, he doesn’t minimize plenty of weight and he’s a kickboxer, which the UFC appears to essentially like these days. That’s what the followers like to see. They wish to watch entertaining fights and entertaining fighters and I feel he matches that position completely”.
Shara Magomedov faces Michael “Venom” Web page within the co-main occasion at UFC Struggle Evening: Adesanya vs. Imavov in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on February 1st.
