It can be argued that UFC Fight Night cards in the Middle East are no less than a PPV card because UFC Saudi Arabia delivered. From impressive performances to great matchups, Dana White and Co. seemed impressed with the fighters on the card. As a reward, four fighters, including Sharaputdin Magomedov, bagged bonus money, as ‘Bullet’ left former lightweight champion Islam Makhachev speechless.
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Yes, fellow Dagestani star Islam Makhachev was in attendance at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi to witness the Fight Night. He shared a story on Instagram, sharing a clip from Sharaputdin Magomedov‘s fight against Marc-Andre Barriault, and seemed quite impressed with ‘Bullet’s unanimous decision-winning performance despite breaking his nose. “It was crazy,” Makhachev wrote on Instagram.
But coming back to the bonuses, it was Dave Shaw, once again filling in for an absent Dana White, who announced the recipients. As expected, after garnering Makhachev’s attention, the ‘Fight of the Night’ honors went to the Sharaputdin Magomedov vs. Marc-Andre Barriault fight, while the ‘Performance of the Night’ honors went to Muslim Salikhov and the record-making Steven Nguyen, who scored the most takedowns in a single fight. All of them took home an extra $50,000.
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Fight of the Night: Shara vs. Barriault
Performance of the Night: Nguyen and Salikhov
— Aaron Bronsteter (@aaronbronsteter) July 26, 2025
While the $50k is sure to make Sharaputdin Magomedov a happy man, the nod from one of the biggest MMA legends of Dagestan may have made him even happier. After all, ‘Bullet’ mentioned wanting to train with Team Khabib before, especially with Javier Mendez.
Sharaputdin Magomedov expressed wanting to train with Team Khabib’s coach
Over a year ago, Sharaputdin Magomedov was two fights deep into his UFC career, having won both of those fights. Thereafter, he expressed seeking the tutelage of Islam Makachev, and his mentor Khabib Nurmagomedov’s coach, Javier Mendez. As we all know, the AKA head coach has trained some of the biggest UFC legends, so ‘Bullet’ wanting to train with him wasn’t a big surprise. “Javier Mendez is great. I’d love to train with him,” Magomedov said during an interview.
“To be honest, Javier is a very decent and honorable man. A great person to be around. He is such a down-to-earth man. Not arrogant at all, he is great,” Sharaputdin Magomedov added. “Hopefully, someday I will have the privilege to train with him. He’s still there in Dubai. I follow him on Social Media.”
Islam Makhachev’s message after his win may help Sharaputdin Magomedov get acquainted with Team Khabib’s head coach. But after his recent performance against Marc-Andre Barriault, it looks like he’s doing just fine with his current set of coaches. Nevertheless, let us know what you think of the bonus winners. Did you have any other fighters in mind? Let us know in the comments below.
Written by
Edited by
Deepali Verma