Sharaputdin Magomedov, the one-eyed Dagestani terrorizing the UFC

With a distinct appearance and an unmatched intensity, Sharaputdin Magomedov is shaping up to be one of MMA's most exciting prospects. He is so far undefeated, and it looks like he's about to conquer the UFC... and he'll do it with just one eye!

On October 21, 2023, Sharaputdin Magomedov had his first fight in the UFC. With a record of 12 victories in as many fights, the man they call 'Bullet' was fired into the big time.

Facing Bruno Silva (23-11), Magomedov brought the fury. He chained kicks, jabs, and punches with serious intensity, winning by unanimous decision, as covered by MMA site Tapology.

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On June 22, the Dagestani delivered a similar performance against Antonio Trocoli (12-4). After barraging him for three rounds, he TKO'd his opponent with two minutes remaining on the clock, securing his second victory in the UFC and his 13th in as many fights.

Though the win doesn't take Magomedov to the top 15 of the UFC middleweight division (-84kg), dominated by Dricus du Plessis, it does open the doors to a potential superfight.

Enter Bo Nickal. Undefeated in six fights, the American called out Magomedov after his victory over Trocoli. If neither man is in the top 15, this fight would pit two of the UFC's biggest prospects against each other.

Unlike Nickal, who is an excellent grappler, Magomedov is an elite striker. Remarkable given Dagestan's reputation for producing strong wrestlers, such as Khabib Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev.

A national muay-thai champion, Magomedov's first contact sport was boxing. In 2017, at the age of 23, he started MMA. However, after picking up an injury to his right eye in 2018, the young fighter spent three years on the sidelines trying to fix his vision issues.

Ultimately he was unable to do so, and opted to have his eye removed in 2021 after eight operations, Give Me Sport reported.

Having only one functioning eye is obviously a huge disadvantage for a fighter, as it makes perceiving depth and judging range to be especially difficult. But Magomedov hasn't let that stop him, clearly.

"It took a lot of money. But at that time, I was under the care of my parents. I  found myself in a difficult situation – I did not train for two years, I did not fight," Magomedov said, as reported by Give Me Sport. "You can divide my whole career into 'before' and 'after' this injury. But after that, I collected my thoughts. My friends believed in me, and everything was fine."

"The doctor says: the worst thing that can happen to your eye has already happened. Therefore, you can practice," he said.

He joined the AMC Fight organization in 2021. He had three victories by knockout before turning to the RCC in 2022. Here he would have two victories in eight days, including a knockout after just eight seconds of combat, according to ActuMMA.

Since joining the UFC in 2023, Magomedov has gone up another level. His intensity and hunger as a fighter has only increased. It's only a matter of time before we see him in the top echelons of the company.

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