Preview: UFC on ABC 9 ‘Whittaker vs. de Ridder’

Middleweights

Sharabutdin Magomedov (15-1, 4-1 UFC) vs. Marc-Andre Barriault (17-9, 1 NC; 6-8, 1 NC UFC)

Odds: Magomedov (-600); Barriault (+425)

Magomedov has become a household name so quickly that it’s easy to forget that one, he debuted in the UFC barely 18 months ago; and two, there was no guarantee he would pan out as well as he has. “Shara Bullet” stepped onto the stage at UFC 294 with a look straight out of a 90s martial arts flick—the villain, if we’re being honest—and a regional highlight reel that was almost too awesome to be real.

The good news is that Magomedov’s dazzling kickboxing actually has proven effective against UFC-level middleweights, including several who were themselves strikers by preference. The bad news is the fun came to an end, or at least a bump in the road, in February against Michael Page, as Magomedov struggled with a more experienced fighter who could rival his speed and dexterity. The worse news is that six fights into his UFC run, “Shara Bullet” has still only fought in the UAE or Saudi Arabia. He can bounce back from a loss, but unless he can fight in North America and Western Europe, there is a hard ceiling on how close he is likely to get to title contention.

The process of bouncing back from a loss begins on Saturday against Barriault, a foe seemingly tailor-made for Magomedov to log another highlight for the reel. At his best, Magomedov is a fast-fluid striker with blisteringly fast hands, decent power and some of the most dexterous kicks this side of Israel Adesanya. Even solid middleweight strikers such as Michal Oleksiejczuk and Armen Petrosyan have found themselves swinging at air and eating leather or bone for their troubles. Against anyone short of “MVP,” Magomedov’s success hinges on his ability to stay upright, and while he has been taken down by several opponents, he has defended himself well on the ground and shown an ability to get back to his feet.

This spells trouble for Barriault. The former two-division TKO champ has been better and more competitive than his UFC win-loss tally implies, but he is a plodding, come-forward grinder who does his best work late in fights after wearing his foe down. His best moments have usually come against the cage, mugging tired opponents in the clinch. The approach has been effective, but it also requires “Power Bar” to absorb a lot of punishment and still be around in Round 3.

That seems unlikely against “Shara Bullet.” If this fight gets past its midpoint, it might start to look very different, especially if Barriault has made Magomedov expend a lot of energy defending takedowns, but don’t count on it. The speed differential will be enormous, and Barriault will have to navigate a minefield in order to get his hands on the Dagestani. The pick is Magomedov by first-round knockout.



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Whittaker vs. de Ridder
Yan vs. McGhee
Magomedov vs. Barriault
Almabayev vs. Ochoa
Krylov vs. Guskov
The Prelims