The UFC community will get to see Dagestan’s own Sharaputdin Magomedov, who is all set to compete in his fourth UFC fight. While sharing a part of his name with Khabib Nurmagomedov, ‘Shara Bullet’ has also been undefeated in his MMA career so far, like the former UFC lightweight champion. But did you know he shares a similarity with another UFC legend?

Sharaputdin Magomedov suffered a career-altering injury similar to that of former UFC middleweight champ and current UFC commentator, Michael Bisping. He is one of the few to sustain severe injuries to their eye during a fight. Bisping once took on Vitor Belfort at UFC on FX. The fight was pretty ugly for ‘The Count’. A kick from Belfort led to Bisping’s retina getting detached, and he had to get it surgically removed in 2018. But what’s the deal with Magomedov? Well, let’s have a look at that.

Is Sharaputdin Magomedov blind in one eye?

The Dagestan native, Sharaputdin Magomedov, currently fights in the middleweight division. Unfortunately, his MMA career took a heavy toll on him, as he lost vision in his right eye. However, the incident of his injury is quite different from how Bisping got his right eye injured. Most fans are well aware of ‘The Count’s’ eye injury happening during a fight.

There are only a negligible number of reports that detail Sharaputdin Magomedov’s eye injury. A YouTube video from ‘THE FIGHT SECTOR’ revealed that ‘Shara Bullet’ picked up the initial injury to his right eye during one of his training sessions in Thailand.

It also drove him out of competition for a prolonged span of three years. Sharaputdin Magomedov was on a four-fight winning streak back then. He had also earned a first-round KO victory in the fight preceding his injury. Owing to the injury, he eventually lost his vision completely. Magomedov then laid bare the severity of the issue in an interview for fans to witness.

When he was worried about getting back into the world of MMA, the doctor told him, “The worst thing that can happen to your eye has already happened. Therefore, you can practice.” But in case you are wondering about the severity of his ocular issues, we’ve got that covered too. Let’s get right into it!

Sharaputdin Magomedov revealed the severity of his eye problems

In an interview with ‘MatchTV’, the Dagestani revealed that he had to go through extreme trouble following his eye injury. He also revealed that he had endured eight surgeries to his right eye. ‘Shara Bullet’ said, “I had many different stages, my eyes were tortured specifically.”

The 30-year-old went into further detail, revealing, “I found myself in a difficult situation – I did not train for two years, I did not fight. In principle, you can divide my whole career into ‘before’ and ‘after’ this injury.” Sharaputdin Magomedov also revealed the horrible processes of the surgeries, stating, “Before the operation, I was mainly afraid of an injection in the eye. At this time, local anesthesia is administered, but you feel everything.”

However, several fans might shiver after listening to Magomedov’s next words. He said, “They pierce it from two or three sides.” However, none of those surgeries could suffice to save his right eye. After almost three years of trying, the doctor said to the fighter, “The worst thing that can happen to your eye has already happened. Therefore, you can practice.”

Sharaputdin Magomedov’s comeback into the MMA cage in 2021 had a large chunk of fans lauding his indomitable willpower. His in-cage skills hardly showcased any difference from his previous fights.

An undefeated MMA record despite having only one eye

UFC fans are aware of the fact that most Dagestanis have a similar style of fighting. Pretty few UFC fighters can match the level of ground game possessed by the Dagestanis. However, ‘Shara Bullet’ stands out from the other fighters in his region in this regard. The ones who have viewed his fights probably know that Sharaputdin Magomedov is a class apart as a striker who has never relied on a decision to win his fights.

A look at his record to date will reveal that the 30-year-old is undefeated in his professional MMA career. However, it’s pertinent to note that he only had four fights before getting completely blinded in his right eye. But even this mishap couldn’t stop his dominating run in MMA. Sharaputdin Magomedov ramped up straight victories in all eight fights that followed. The Russian currently boasts an undefeated record in pro-MMA (14-0) and is gearing up to maintain the undefeated record in the UFC!

Sharaputdin Magomedov has competed in the UFC, yes, but for some reason, he has not been able to compete in the United States. But why is that? Let’s have a look at that front.

Can ‘Bullet’ fight in the USA with one eye?

As stated by Dana White in the past, the 55-year-old claims the undefeated Sharaputdin Magomedov is likely unable to fight in the USA due to some travel complications. However, the cause for the travel complications remains unconfirmed, but the popular belief is that it has everything to do with the eye problems of Magomedov.

However, his UFC run had a flying start, nonetheless. In his UFC debut, the Dagestani defeated his opponent, Bruno Silva, in a 30-27 decision win. In his second UFC bout, ‘Pirate’ took on Antonio Troccoli at UFC on ABC 6. And guess what! He clinched a victory via TKO. Then, he earned a unanimous decision win against Michal Oleksiejczuk at UFC on ABC 7 in Saudi Arabia, and now, he’s going to butt heads against an unranked opponent, Armen Petrosyan at UFC 308.

While many fans consider this a major win considering the physical disadvantage Sharaputdin Magomedov had, several others felt that the fighter did not meet the hype. But he has a chance to shut his critics up once again in his upcoming fight.