Shara Magomedov left UFC Fight Night 280 with a decision win and a clear idea of who he’d like to see across the cage next: former middleweight champion Israel Adesanya.
Magomedov defeated Michel Pereira by decision in the co-main event in Baku, Azerbaijan, then addressed a potential clash with Adesanya when reporters brought up the matchup at the post-fight news conference.
"Israel Adesanya is a great matchup," Magomedov said. "He's fast. He's got a good size. He's tall. He's very interesting. He's not that old, still. I think it would be an exciting matchup, and I think he would be a great, exciting matchup for me, to be honest. But if I need to let my brother Abus take that matchup, then that's what I'll do. Abus is awesome. We trained for this camp. We did the whole camp together."
Abus Magomedov, Shara’s teammate, also called for a fight with Adesanya after his own win at UFC Fight Night 280, adding another potential option for the former champion.
Shara Magomedov made it clear he’s not fixated on just one name, though. "Whoever the UFC gives me, I'm ready to fight them," he said. "Anybody from top 15, top 10, even top five, I'm ready for everybody. I'm competitive, and I'm ready to take any fight. I appreciate the fights the UFC has given me and all the opportunities."
Magomedov now sits at 17-1 in his professional MMA career and 6-1 in the UFC, with two straight wins since his first UFC defeat in early 2025 against Michael Page.
