“How he’s from Dagestan and has zero takedown defense?” Dana White hilariously reacts to Dagestani pirate Sharaputdin Magomedov’s UFC 294 debut

Sharaputdin Magomedov showed a weakness in his debut performance against Bruno Silva. Dana White had a hilarious reaction to the weakness.

“How he’s from Dagestan and has zero takedown defense?” Dana White hilariously reacts to Dagestani pirate Sharaputdin Magomedov’s UFC 294 debut

Dana White questions Sharaputdin Magomedov's takedown defense (via Instagram/Imago)

Dagestani newcomer Sharaputdin Magomedov made his big debut with the promotion in Abu Dhabi. Fighting at UFC 294, he went against  Bruno Silva in a three-round war. He won the matchup with a 30-27 decision on all three judges’ scorecards. He has received great admiration and validation from CEO Dana White. However, the CEO expressed light-hearted concern over the fighter’s techniques.

Magomedov had huge hype ahead of his debut. The 29-year-old Russian showed potential throughout the match, thus earning a unanimous decision. White joked about his takedown defense and wrestling ability. Speaking at the UFC 294 post-fight conference, White said:

He’s a bad boy. He’s tough. His first fight in the UFC — I don’t know how he’s from Dagestan and has zero takedown defense! But other than that he looked incredible. I like the kid.
Dana White during the UFC 294 post-fight press conference

On being asked if “Shara Bullet” was the future of the promotion, White had to say:

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I don’t know if he’s the future of the sport, but he’s definitely got a future here. He’s gotta work on his takedown defense. In the UFC you have to have the full game. Obviously, his kickboxing is nasty. And leg kicks, head kicks, elbows. But he’s gotta tighten up that wrestling game or he’ll get beat here very quickly.

Fans have expressed mild disappointment on the Russian not performing up to the hype surrounding him. Nevertheless, Shara fought a tough opponent in his first bout. Hopefully, he will learn much from that experience and improve in his next bout. In his post-fight interview, Magomedov said Dana White had given him a quick turnaround match at Shanghai in December. Shara will aim to prove his doubters wrong in the next bout.

Sharaputdin Magomedov credits his win to Michael Bisping

Sharaputdin Magomedov won his debut UFC bout at UFC 294. Although the 11-0 fighter and his style did not live up to the hype fans of the MMA community had created, he still came out a victor. He showed adequate athleticism and definitive striking skills throughout the match, which resulted in the win. After the matchup, however, Madomedov had a special message for a legend.

Michael Bisping
Michael Bisping (Source: Imago)

Hall of Famer Michael Bisping also had one impaired eye like Magomedov. However, it did not stop him from achieving great heights as well. “The Count” clinically hid his condition to pass the doctor’s exam and delivered excellent performances. One of them included his short-notice victory over Luke Rockhold at UFC 199. After his fight, Magomedov proclaimed that Bisping was his inspiration.

This was in an interview with TNT Sports in the United Kingdom. Soon after, Bisping posted a video on his Instagram story, congratulating the fighter. As of late, Magomedov had received the nod to fight in December in Shanghai.

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