Looking for a rebound from his first professional MMA loss, Shara Magomedov was troubled by the power of Marc-Andre Barriault; however, he overcame by firing fire with fire and nearly scoring finishes en route to a decision win in their UFC Abu Dhabi contest.
Magomedov controlled the range early with low kicks and good footwork, controlling the pace and keeping Barriault off-balance. Barriault tried to pressure with his grappling, but Magomedov's striking kept him at bay.
Barriault pressured Magomedov in the second round, landing a huge right hand that broke Magomedov's nose. Barriault swarmed with follow-up strikes. He secured a takedown and punished the bleeding Russian with clinch work and uppercuts, though Magomedov rallied with a damaging knee that rocked the Canadian.
"Shara Bullet" returned to his striking in the final frame, landing hook kicks, jump knees, and brutal elbows, hurting Barriault before ending the round with a takedown and strong ground-and-pound.
Shara Magomedov Scores Decision Win Over Marc-Andre Barriault At UFC Abu Dhabi
Magomedov rebounds from his decision loss to Michael "Venom" Page at UFC Saudi Arabia in February. He had won his first 15 fights in MMA, including four straight in the UFC.
Barriault has lost four of his last five now. He came into this fight off a performance bonus-earning knockout of Bruno Silva at UFC 315 in May.