Shalabdin “Shara Bullet” Magomedov (12-0) had an interesting encounter with local police during a previous visit to Saudi Arabia.
Magomedov is scheduled to face Brazilian newcomer Antonio Trocoli (12-3) at UFC on ABC 6 on June 22 at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. But this isn’t Magomedov’s first visit to the region, where he has become a surprising favorite. The Russian has been there before for the annual Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, called Hajj. Magomedov hasn’t been out of the fighter hotel much this time around, but the one time he did, he said he was overwhelmed by the support of the fans.
“Yes, I was surprised that people recognized me here, as they did in Russia,” Magomedov told Red Corner MMA. “People ask me to take photos in the most unusual places. I’m happy. We are going to conquer the whole Arabian Peninsula. People know me in Saudi Arabia and the UAE. We are conquering even more shores. There is no escape from this fame… I went to the center once and for 100 meters everyone was honking and photographing me. They were saying: ‘Inshallah, you won, you won, you won.’ It was nice, but I haven’t gone outside since then.”
During his last visit to Saudi Arabia in November 2023, Magomedov clashed with police after his UFC debut in Abu Dhabi a few weeks earlier, in which he won a unanimous decision over Bruno Silva. While walking through the city for the pilgrimage, “Bullet” often covered his face, but British fans nevertheless recognized him. However, the UFC middleweight hopeful’s face being covered aroused suspicion among security at the pilgrimage site, and he was taken to the police station. However, the police, presumably recognizing him, released Magomedov after taking a photo, and it all ended humorously.
“During the pilgrimage, you have to follow the rituals and go out into the streets,” Magomedov said. “Sometimes I had to cover my face with a scarf. An English man recognized me, which was funny because there was no way he would have recognized me… Men can’t hide their faces in holy places. The guards were suspicious, they stopped me, asked me something and took me to the station, where everyone took pictures with me and let me go. It was funny.”
“Bullet” changed two opponents for his second promotional bout of the weekend. Magomedov was originally scheduled to face Igor Pothieria, who will face Michel Pereira at UFC 301. Instead of Pereira, karate-combat star and 47-fight veteran Joylton Luterback was brought in. Magomedov even met Luterback at the fighters’ hotel in Saudi Arabia. However, Luterback was forced to withdraw after failing a drug test, and fellow newcomer Trocoli took his place three days before the bout. Cutting weight was not an issue for Trocoli. He was originally scheduled to face Ikram Aliskerov last weekend, but the Dagestan fighter ended up replacing Khamzat Chimaev, who will face Robert Whittaker in Saturday’s main event.
