How Sharaputdin Magomedov took over the UFC with just one eye

Dagestani fighter Sharaputdin Magomedov has quickly become one of the UFC's top prospects. Dismantling his opponents with his fierce strikes, Magomedov has been undefeated since his debut in 2023...and he's done 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.

Now with a 14-0 streak, Magomedov looks set for a huge match-up at UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi, rumors are swirling that Dana White is working to set up 'Bullet' against former Muay Thai world champion Armen Petrosyan, according to Essentially Sports.

There are also still rumors of a Bo Nickal bout after the American called out Magomedov following his victory over Trocoli in June.

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.

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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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