Magomedov survives early knockdown to outwork Pereira at UFC Baku

Shara ‘Bullet’ Magomedov turned a first-round knockdown into a statement victory at UFC Baku on Saturday, grinding out a unanimous decision win over Michel Pereira in the middleweight co-main event. Dropped by a right hand early in round one, Magomedov weathered the initial storm and steadily took control of the fight over the following two rounds.

At the post-fight press conference, Magomedov was candid about his mindset after hitting the canvas. “I was coming out there knowing that he would have to kill me to get me out of there,” he said through a Russian interpreter. “I was ready to die in that octagon. I missed that right hand — I was waiting for that right, I was hoping to get him on that right, and then I end up missing it. But I did not get discouraged.”

Rather than panic, Magomedov said he tried to use Pereira’s aggression against him. “He pounced on me, he thought he was going to finish me, he smelled blood in the water — and I wanted to use it the opposite way. I wanted to make sure to catch him and capitalize on that from my own side.”

After that turbulent opening exchange, the fight settled into a more measured pattern. Pereira, who had been willing to trade early, increasingly sought takedowns — a tactical shift Magomedov said he has come to expect. “Every fighter with me from the very debut in the UFC, every fighter turns into a wrestler,” he said. “Everybody wants to wrestle with me because nobody wants to play my game.”

Magomedov adjusted accordingly, scaling back his combination work in favour of single, precise strikes. He also landed a knee that he believed might end the contest. “Somehow it did not end the fight — I thought it was going to,” he said. “It didn’t work out, so I had to just continue and find new and interesting ways to try and finish him.”

The victory puts Magomedov on his first winning streak since late 2024. He indicated he is targeting a ranked middleweight opponent next, though he declined when Israel Adesanya’s name was floated as a potential matchup.