Shara Magomedov vs. Marc-Andre Barriault squared off in a Middleweight contest earlier tonight (Sat. July 26, 2025) live on ABC inside Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
As expected, Barriault opened the fight with pressure, whereas Magomedov tried to stick-and-move with his kicking attack. “Bullet” went to work early on the lead leg of his opponent. Barriault switched it up with a double leg takedown, briefly gaining top position. The two exchanges some good shots in the clinch, including
a heavy knee upstairs from Magomedov. Barriault kept the pressure on, but his leg was getting absolutely chewed up after just a few minutes of action. Barriault was able to find the clinch often enough, but he wasn’t really winning the exchanges there.
It wasn’t looking great for the Canadian scrapper after five minutes.
Magomedov’s kicks were landing with a punishing thud early in round two. Barriault began to to fire more in combination while pressing, but Magomedov answered with an elbow counter that split him open. Out of nowhere, a Barriault right hand cracked Magomedov and sent him stumbling backwards! Barriault followed up with a nice bit of clinch offense. “Power Bar” dropped another heavy right hand down the middle! He pushed into close quarters again, ripping body shots and elbows. Magomedov’s nose was very clearly broken after those clean right hand connections. He fought back with elbows, and both men landed hard strikes from the clinch in the final minute. A Magomedov knee stunned Barriault, helping drag the momentum back into the Russian’s corner.
Both athletes were battered with one round remaining.
Magomedov almost took Barriault’s head off with an early jump knee to start the final frame. Magomedov started to work his jab, returning to his long range game and making Barriault miss. Triple elbow connected from Magomedov when Barriault shoved his way into the clinch. Barriault was doing too much ineffective wrestling and not enough combination punching, which allowed Magomedov to land the harder strikes at a consistent rate. The wrestling seemed to fatigue Barriault as well, which helped Magomedov take the center with some flashy strikes. The Russian secured a double-collar tie late, flooring Barraiult with a heavy knee to fully secure the victory.
Barriault had a couple strong moments in the second, but this was largely the Shara “Bullet” show. He almost finished the fight on more than one occasion and likely would’ve earned a stoppage given 30 more seconds to work. His ability to remain quick and punishing despite his exhaustive kickboxing style is impressive, even if his boxing defense leaves something to be desired. Generally, Magomedov’s takedown defense and grappling held up really well here as well.
The Russian kickboxer remains an interesting Middleweight prospect moving forward.
Result: Magomedov defeats Barriault via unanimous decision
For complete UFC Abu Dhabi results and play-by-play, click here.
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