Shara Magomedov‘s fairy-tale run in the UFC is over. The one-eyed Dagestani striker, of course, has fascinated fans with his action-film villain looks, electrifying knockouts, and undefeated record. Because of this, he seemed on the fast track to the title. Alas, that came to an end on Saturday, as Michael ‘Venom’ Page won a unanimous decision over ‘The Pirate’ in their UFC Saudi Arabia clash.

And UFC veteran Josh Thomson thinks that Page’s victory was a ‘fraud-check’ for the Dagestani striker. “MVP, I thought, kind of dominated the fight. Just very one-sided, very touch-touch, land [a strike], touch-touch and land, and circle out, you know. Seemed like he was in control of the whole fight. To me, though, I felt like it was a little bit of a fraud check,” Thomson said on his ‘Weighing In’ podcast on YouTube.

To be fair, Thomson was quick to add that he still thought Magomedov was a good fighter. But the thing is that ‘MVP’ was the first elite-level striker he had faced, and the loss clearly showed the Dagestani had some work to do before competing with these high-level guys.

“Not that he’s [Magomedov is] not a good fighter, I just looked at it as he hasn’t had to fight a tough wrestler and he hasn’t had to fight an elite striker. And he leaves himself open quite a bit when he does strike. He’s tough as nails, but you know, he’s got to make some adjustments to move forward,” he added. But there may be more than meets the eye behind ‘The Pirate’s loss.

Shara Magomedov reveals the reason for his lackluster performance against MVP

Shara Magomedov has claimed that he fought ‘MVP’ on with a ‘nightmarish health condition’, hinting at a possible injury or perhaps an illness. “I knew all the risks when stepping in with such a nightmarish health condition and preparation. I felt that despite everything, I could still win—but it didn’t work out, and that’s it,” he wrote on social media after the loss.

We do not know whether or not this is true, but Magomedov didn’t look like he was impaired in any way. But then again, he may have an illness or some kind of injury that wouldn’t be noticeable to the audience watching. Or maybe he just put on a brave face. But what we do know for sure is that the Dagestani lost.

But he is still a star who is popular among fans and looks determined to do everything he can to make it to the top. This means he is already halfway there. If he improves his game, as Thomson pointed out, he could well become a champion and one of the biggest stars in the promotion. What do you think about Josh Thomson’s thoughts on Shara Magomedov’s loss?