In this contest between middleweight striking specialists, Sharaputdin Magomedov will finally run into an MMA striker who can keep up with his kicks.
One of the main pieces of advice given to fighters who are facing a kick-heavy attack is to kick them right back. Kicking puts a fighter on one leg, and a lot of kickers just do not expect to be kicked back by foes.
In this fight, though, Magomedov will expect it. In his three prior UFC outings, ‘Shara Bullet’ has seen two fighters who swing for the fences with wild punches, and one who is a mediocre jiu-jitsu wrestler.
Now, he will face a fellow kickboxer. Armen Petrosyan (no relation to legendary kickboxer Giorgio) is 3-2 in the UFC, having only lost to elite grapplers Caio Borralho and Rodolfo Vieira. The Armenian-born fighter competed in Muay Thai and kickboxing in Russia for years, much like Magomedov, before transitioning to MMA and making it to the UFC.
In this fight, expect a dynamic where Shara once again tries to circle on the outside while doing damage wirh his flashy kicks. Petrosyan may not be the best pressure fighter, but in his performance against Christian Leroy Duncan he showed improved cage-craft to go with his kicks. Now that Armen can close off exits with those powerful kicks (one of which won him a UFC contract on DWCS) he will be even more dangerous against fighters who willingly concede the back foot.
Every fight on the main card of UFC 308 has potential to be close and competitive; Shara vs Armen is no exception. I expect a tense kickboxing match where Shara finds his unusual style is not perfect. He may even find himself taken down by Petrosyan, despite his kickboxing background.
After all, the Armenian striker did take down CLD two fights ago, and doubtless he had to train his wrestling till his feet bled for his last bout against Vieira, a former ADCC champion.
Sharabullet can absolutely find success here. Petrosyan is more plodding while Magomedov explodes into his strikes, covering a lot of ground with his karate boxing style. Yet that leaves him vulnerable to kicks, as discussed earlier, and to left hooks, the mortal enemy of all karatekas.
After three UFC wins and 14 as a pro, Shara ‘Bullet’ Magomedov’s time as an undefeated fighter may be coming to an end. Still, he is a favorite in Abu Dhabi, so in a close decision I will not be surprised to see this fight go his way.
However, expectations need to be tempered around Sharaputdin in general, as I believe his future lies more in being an unranked action fighter than a legitimate title challenger.
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