ABU DHABI – Shara Magomedov sees a path to a UFC title thanks to Michael Bisping.
Magomedov (14-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC), a rising UFC middleweight, has taken a lot of inspiration from Bisping, who won a UFC title while fighting with basically one eye. Magomedov, who also lives with vision impairment, has proof that such a thing can be done thanks to Bisping and hopes to follow his footsteps.
“When it comes to Bisping, yeah, he’s a motivation because he’s somebody who went down this path already,” Magomedov said at the UFC 308 media day on Wednesday. “He laid down the path, and he set an example for me. It’s much easier to follow somebody’s path as opposed to wander around in the dark. He’s a motivation for me and other people. He said anything is possible, not to let your hands down, and keep on going forward and keep on chasing your dream.”
Magomedov returns to the cage this Saturday in the opening bout of the UFC 308 pay-per-view – which goes down at Etihad Arena. Magomedov has trained and sparred with Petrosyan (9-3 MMA, 3-2 UFC) in the past.
He feels comfortable fighting with one eye and in no way is concerned that Petrosyan, or any of his future opponents, will try to take advantage of his limited vision.
“I think it’s a little different because I have 19 fights in my career, and every opponent has tried to take advantage of that, and it didn’t go their way,”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 308.
