Shara Magomedov dug deep in the co-main event at UFC Baku on Saturday, rallying from an early knockdown to defeat Michel Pereira by unanimous decision.
Both middleweights entered the bout chasing a second straight win, and Pereira struck first, dropping Magomedov with a right hand in the opening round. Magomedov recovered and went on to outwork Pereira over the next two frames to secure the judges’ nod.
“I was coming out there knowing that he would have to kill me to get me out of there,” Magomedov said afterward. “I was ready to die in that octagon. I missed that right [hand], was waiting for that right, I was hoping to get him on that right, and then I end up missing that right. But I did not get discouraged, I was on the bottom, I was working with my shots.”
Magomedov noted that, once again, he felt an opponent turn to wrestling against him. “Every fighter with me from the very debut in the UFC, every fighter turns into a wrestler. Everybody wants to wrestle with me because nobody wants to play my game,” he said, explaining that he adjusted by tightening up his striking.
Now on his first win streak since late 2024, Magomedov is targeting ranked competition next, though he has declined a matchup with Israel Adesanya and voiced support for Abus Magomedov to face Adesanya instead. “I’m a pirate and I’m ready to conquer new lands,” he added. “Whoever the UFC gives me, I’m ready to fight them.”
