UFC middleweight Shara Magomedov has claimed to have competed in Saudi Arabia in spite of an injury.
Things didn’t go to plan for Magomedov in Riyadh this weekend, with the one-eyed Dagestani falling to his first professional and UFC loss at the mixed martial arts leader’s second event in Saudi Arabia.
After a 4-0 start to life in the Octagon, Magomedov’s 0 was taken by welterweight contender Michael “Venom” Page, whose one-off move up to 185 pounds proved to be a success as he pieced “Bullet” up on the feet across three rounds.
Magomedov took to Instagram a few hours on to post his first statement, during which he revealed that the fight was actually in doubt during the lead-up due to a “nightmarish health condition” he was suffering from.
“The pirate sails into the harbor, but I will return!
“I knew all the risks when stepping in with such a nightmarish health condition and preparation. I felt that despite everything, I could still win—but it didn’t work out, and that’s it.
“Thank you to the @ufc organization for this opportunity and to everyone involved. I wanted to put on a show and meet expectations without canceling the fight.
“Thank you to everyone who stands by me in any situation! Alhamdulillah.”
With the hype behind his name somewhat dented by “MVP” in the Middle East, Magomedov will likely look to return to 100 percent physical condition before making his return to the Octagon, where he’ll be tasked with avoiding the first losing skid of his MMA career.
Prior to the setback against Page, the Dagestani had opened his UFC account with victories over Bruno Silva, Antonio Trócoli, Micha? Oleksiejczuk and Armen Petrosyan.