Following his win at the UFC’s debut event in Saudi Arabia, Sharaputdin Magomedov challenged Kevin Holland to a fight during a backstage interview. The UFC’s Saudi Arabia card faced several hiccups and Dana White had to fall back on several last-minute replacements. In fact, Magomedov was one of the few fighters who accepted a new opponent in the eleventh hour, although the bout was no less thrilling.
Magomedov was originally contracted to fight Ihor Potieria at UFC Saudi Arabia. However, Potieria accepted a short-notice fight against Michel Pereira at UFC 301 leaving ‘Bullet’ without an opponent. Hence, the UFC stepped in and secured the services of Joilton Lutterbach as a potential opponent. However, Lutterbach failed several drug tests and also admitted to taking banned substances, which is why the promotion eventually turned to Antonio Trócoli.
After his win, Magomedov had only one target in mind. He called out Kevin Holland for a fight. Holland recently bounced back into the win column with a win over Michal Oleksiejczuk. Currently, both Holland and Magomedov are unranked at 185 pounds in the UFC and therefore a fight between the two makes a lot of sense.
After his incredible victory, Magomedov spoke to a reporter backstage and sent out a strong message to Holland saying,
“Kevin Holland, let’s go fighting.”
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During the interview, ‘Bullet’ further added that he did not mind the last-minute opponent change, and claimed that the crowd and the energy at the UFC’s first event in Saudi Arabia made him feel he could take on anyone and secure a win. However, despite his impressive performance, Magomedov will not be seen very often in the UFC.
Dana White details the problem with Sharaputdin Magomedov
Following the event, Dana White sat down for a press conference and provided an update on Magomedov’s future. White confirmed that he will probably not be allowed to compete in the United States. This is presumably because ‘Bullet’ is partially blind in one eye and therefore might not be sanctioned by the athletic committees. Unfortunately, this means that Magomedov will be seen only at events hosted outside the UFC which are not that often.
Dana White says Shara “Bullet” Magomedov CANT FIGHT in the United States‼️
“We’ll keep him out here.”
Presumably due to his half blindness, Shara would struggle to get sanctioned to fight any US state.
This could severely hinder his progression within the organization.… pic.twitter.com/8YefzTNfNp
— MMA Casuals (@MMA_CASUALS_) June 22, 2024
There are only a handful of events that are taking place outside the UFC for the rest of the year. The UFC could fit Magomedov into those. Still, if that’s not possible, the UFC plans on returning to Saudi Arabia in the first quarter of next year where Magomedov can compete once again.
