After scoring his 13th career win six weeks ago at UFC Saudi Arabia, Shara Magomedov returned to the Octagon on Saturday night in Abu Dhabi for a short-notice scrap with Polish powerhouse Micha? Oleksiejczuk. ‘Bullet’ entered his second fight in as many months on the heels of a big win over Antonio Trócoli in Riyadh. Before that, the undefeated Russian bested Bruno Silva at UFC 294 in October.
Meanwhile, Oleksiejczuk stepped inside the Octagon determined to snap a two-fight losing skid after suffering back-to-back submission losses against Michel Pereira and Kevin Holland.
Putting pressure on early, Oleksiejczuk landed a straight left that sat down Magomedov in the early moments of the opening round. However, it was ‘Hussar’ who was wearing all the damage after getting busted open by a perfectly-timed elbow in close.
Magomedov held the striking advantage in the second, though Oleksiejczuk made a case for himself in the final minute, scoring a takedown and threatening ‘Bullet’ with an RNC. Unable to cinch it in, Oleksiejczuk was content to hold position and potentially steal the round on the scorecards.
As Magomedov began to run away with it in the third, Oleksiejczuk once again went to ground game and secured a takedown. ‘Bullet’ fought his way back up, but quickly found himself flat on his back with less than a minute to go in the fight. Despite the unfavorable position, Magomedov lit up his opponent with some nasty elbows from the bottom just before the final bell.
Official Result: Shara Magomedov def. Micha? Oleksiejczuk via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)