Who is Shara Magomedov? Meet the one-eyed UFC star fighting in Abu Dhabi

In the corner of a bright, air-conditioned UFC Gym in Abu Dhabi, Shara Magomedov barely says a word. Dressed in a white tee, olive green cargo pants, and a Gucci bucket hat to cover his ginger hair, he studies the space like he would an opponent in the Octagon.

For a fighter nicknamed “The Pirate”, Shara “Bullet” Magomedov isn’t what you expect. There are no viral soundbites, no desire to talk up his next bout. In fact, most of the talking is done by his manager, Gor Azizyan, who translates his words from Russian. When asked about his famous right eye—damaged in a brutal training accident years ago that left him permanently blind—he cuts the question short:

Recommended For You

Dubai flying taxi: RTA to offer free rides to select passengers next year

Dubai: Dewa customers can now receive deposit refunds of up to Dh4,000 in just 30 minutes

Silver's 2025 ascent: Why there's so much more to the metal

India: New Delhi car bomb accused appears in court

“The Middle East isn’t real”—or is it a mindset?

 

“He doesn't want to talk about the eye,” Azizyan says. “Everyone asks about the eye. His focus is on the fight and the belt.”

And maybe that silence says more than any quote ever could.

But, for context, the 31-year-old fighter lost vision in his right eye in 2016 following a training injury sustained while he was in Thailand, training in Muay Thai. The injury was reportedly severe. Despite multiple surgeries, his vision could not be restored, leaving him legally blind in one eye. According to Shara himself, the vision loss nearly ended his career before it fully began, but he refused to quit.

In interviews and posts, he often downplays the disability and instead embraces it as part of his warrior image, referring to himself as a “pirate”. He doesn’t wear a patch; he’s embraced the look, and it’s become part of the Shara Bullet mystique.

From Dagestan to Dubai

A striker by heart and showman by instinct, Shara became a global sensation after his electrifying “double bullet” spinning elbow knockout in Abu Dhabi last year — a move that still circulates social media like digital legend. But beneath the highlight reels and fearsome walkouts is a man rooted in simplicity.

“I am a family guy,” Shara says through his manager. “I spend most of my time with my wife and kids.” He's got two daughters, aged seven and five.

Though he hails from the same region that produced many elite fighters like Khabib Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev — Dagestan — he's become semi-based in Dubai in recent years.

He spends significant time training in the UAE, especially at UFC Gym and other facilities in Dubai, where he gets both high-level training and access to growing fan recognition.

And when he's not training in the gym, he heads to Dubai beaches for runs, where, he says, "many people come to take photos with me. That motivates me because I like to put on a show for them."

The UAE connection

His connection with the UAE goes back to UFC 280, when Islam Makhachev fought Charles Oliveira in Abu Dhabi. Shara wasn’t on the card. He wasn’t even signed to the UFC yet. But he was there, watching in the crowd, supporting his fellow Dagestani.

“The first time we came here was for Islam's fight,” he recalls. A year later, he signed with the UFC and made his debut, also in Abu Dhabi.

“Right after that, I signed with the UFC. A year later, I made my debut.”

Since then, he's become a regular in the region’s fight circuit, both inside and outside the cage. "I like the UAE atmosphere," he says, "the people are also very nice."

The nickname 'The Pirate' wasn’t a branding move — it came from his fight history.

“Everywhere I go and fight, I collect gold,” Shara explains. “China, Brazil, Thailand, Russia — I win the championship in every promotion.”

On July 26, he returns to the Octagon in Abu Dhabi for UFC Fight Night, facing Marc-André Barriault in a middleweight showdown that could reignite his campaign for gold, and perhaps, a rebound from his first career loss to Michael 'Venom' Page earlier this year in Saudi Arabia.

Barriault, meanwhile, arrives with a dangerous reputation, and a 17–9 record. Known for his all-or-nothing fighting style, Barriault snapped a three-fight losing streak in March with a devastating knockout of Bruno Silva, a name Shara himself has already bested.

Yet Shara welcomes the threat. When asked about his opponent in Abu Dhabi, he doesn’t flinch. "We'll see who's stronger," he says. “And the stronger person will win.”

And when asked what the future holds — what his ultimate goal is — his answer is as sharp and direct as his elbows.

“The UFC belt,” he says. Or, in the pirate's own words: “Gold.”

Husain Rizvi

husain@khaleejtimes.com

Husain Rizvi is a Senior Features Writer who covers entertainment and lifestyle stories and has a profound interest in tech (games) and sports. When he’s not working, you can find him at the gym, or finishing a boss fight in a video game.