UFC on ABC 7: Shara Magomedov vs. Michal Oleksiejczuk Fight Preview

In the co-main event of UFC Abu Dhabi, both Shara Magomedov and Michal Oleksiejczuk will be competing for the second time in roughly two months. Magomedov is coming off a knockout win over Antonio Trocoli at UFC Saudi Arabia, with Oleksiejczuk losing to Kevin Holland at UFC 302 three weeks prior.

As one of the most notable prospects in the middleweight division, Magomedov will continue his trend of solely fighting in the Middle East since signing with the UFC. Still undefeated at 13-0, ‘Shara Bullet’ figures to face the biggest challenge of his brief career despite Oleksiejczuk entering the matchup on a two-fight skid.

Shara Magomedov vs. Michal Oleksiejczuk Tale of the Tape

Shara Magomedov vs. Michal Oleksiejczuk Fight Statistics

View the statistics for each fighter as they appear on UFC Stats ahead of their main event meeting at UFC 304:

Shara Magomedov’s Last Fight

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With just two UFC fights under his belt, Magomedov is 2-0 in the Octagon since debuting with the promotion in October 2023. After a debut win over Bruno Silva at UFC 294, Magomedov was expected to return at UFC Saudi Arabia against Joilton Lutterbach but had that fight fall through after Lutterbach tested positive for PED usage. Antonio Trocoli, who was scheduled to fight Ikram Aliskerov the week before, stepped in on short notice.

Magomed had his struggles with the grappling-heavy approach of Trocoli, but the short-notice nature of the fight eventually got to the Brazilian, who was visibly exhausted in the third round. By that point, Magomedov turned him into a human punching bag and landed a left hook against the fence to put him down and walk away with a TKO victory.

Michal Oleksiejczuk’s Last Fight

The road for Oleksiejczuk in the UFC has not been smooth, but when he has his moments, he is capable of putting on some of the best highlights in the organization. Oleksiejczuk’s last win was as recent as August 2023, but since then the Pole has suffered back-to-back first-round submission losses. In his first two fights of 2024, Oleksiejczuk was submitted in under two minutes by both Michel Pereira and Kevin Holland.

Before the finishing sequence, Oleksiejczuk knocked Holland down with a right hand in the first exchange, but the ensuing ground exchange led to the submission. Oleksiejczuk protested the finish due to the referee intervening before he officially tapped to an armbar, believing his arm was broken. The 29-year-old claimed he did not break his arm nor tap to the submission, but it is still on his official record as a technical submission loss.

Key Statistics

Not only are the three most recent losses for Michal Oleksiejczuk all by submission, but six of his eight defeats overall—75 percent—are of that method. Shara Magomedov has gained his fanbase by being one of the flashiest strikers in the UFC but is well-known for his deficiency in the grappling department. With the proven path to victory against Oleksiejczuk being on the ground, Magomedov does not appear likely to go that route, having never won a fight by submission.

While Magomedov is undefeated with 11 wins by knockout, Oleksiejczuk presents a unique threat with his power that ‘Shara Bullet’ has yet to see in his career. In his 14 UFC fights, Oleksiejczuk has landed eight knockdowns in the Octagon while being fairly durable in the chaotic exchanges he likes to enforce, having never been knocked down himself. Oleksiejczuk has one knockout loss on his record, but it was a light heavyweight fight back in 2014.

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