Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Middleweight sluggers Shara Magomedov vs. Marc-Andre Barriault will throw down this weekend (Sat., July 26, 2025) at UFC Abu Dhabi inside Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
After starting his UFC career with four straight victories, “Bullet” began 2025 with the first loss of his professional career opposite Michael Page. It was a frustrating night for Magomedov, who grew increasingly angry at his inability to hit “MVP” as the fight wore on. He’ll aim to exercise some of disappointment on Barriault, a long-time veteran of the division. In a bit of coincidence, the Canadian scrapper was actually riding a three-fight losing streak heading into this year, but a monstrous knockout over Bruno Silva in May (re-live it here) saved his UFC career and scored him a high-profile trip to Abu Dhabi.
Let’s take a closer look at the betting odds and strategic keys for each athlete:
Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC
Magomedov vs. Barriault Betting Odds
- Shara Magomedov victory: -575
- Shara Magomedov via TKO/KO/DQ: TBD
- Shara Magomedov via submission: TBD
- Shara Magomedov via decision: TBD
- Marc-Andre Barriault victory: +425
- Marc-Andre Barriault via TKO/KO/DQ: TBD
- Marc-Andre Barriault via submission: TBD
- Marc-Andre Barriault via decision: TBD
- Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook
Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC
How Magomedov Wins
Magomedov is a nasty kickboxer with a deep gas tank. Despite fighting a really exhausting style of high-volume kicker, he’s nevertheless able to maintain his output deep into fights. He’s quite quick as well, and the combination of speed and activity means his kicking game really breaks opponents down.
Magomedov has two massive advantages in this fight. First and foremost, he’s the superior athlete by a significant measure, which is going to equate to a serious speed advantage. Secondly, “Bullet” is the much better range fighter. Barriault likes an ugly, close-quarters brawl and doesn’t have the array of punishing kicks like the Russian striker.
These are Magomedov’s usual advantages over most opponents, so he doesn’t have to adjust much. Additionally, it’s not like Barriault is a significant wrestling threat. Magomedov should be able to kick with impunity, and once his legs start flying, it quickly becomes difficult to avoid the wood chipper.
Photo by Cooper Neill/Zuffa LLC
How Barriault Wins
Barriault has been throwing down in the Octagon since 2019. He’s never found the most consistent success inside the Octagon, but Barriault has nevertheless managed to establish himself as a gritty striker with serious punching power.
The athleticism gap is a problem, but Barriault has a reasonable style match up here. It’s not like “Power Bar” has to worry about the takedown either! This is striker vs. striker, and the biggest difference in approach is distance. Magomedov wants to kick, while Barriault wants to get his hands on his opponents and force them into bloody phone booth brawls.
The obvious key for Barriault is relentless pressure, and he has the cardio to do it. Several times now, we’ve seen opponents try to press Magomedov and find success. His footwork isn’t great, nor is his boxing defense. After a few frantic swings or intercepting kicks, however, they ease off and allow Magomedov to play his game.
Barriault cannot make that mistake, even if his forward pressure puts him at risk of getting knocked out. His only chance here is to get in Magomedov’s grill, shove him in the fence, and start ripping punches, elbows and knees. If he can deny Magomedov his preferred kicking match, the Russian’s output will drop off, and he’ll be much less effective overall.
Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC
Magomedov vs. Barriault Prediction
I’d love to see another murderous Barriault elbow, but I doubt it’s in the cards.
The speed difference is just too severe to imagine Barriault dodging many of those kicks. After a half-dozen hard shin-to-arm connections, he’s not going to be punching as hard either. Worse still, Barriault’s historic durability is starting to fade. He’s only lost three fights total via knockout in an 11-year professional career, but two of them came in 2024.
And, for what it’s worth, 35 isn’t old at Middleweight, but rarely does getting slept consecutively indicate that a fighter’s best days are ahead of them.
Prediction: Magomedov via knockout
LIVE! Stream UFC Abu Dhabi On ESPN+
MIDDLEWEIGHT MAYHEM! Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) returns to Etihad Arena on “Fight Island” this Sat. night (July 26, 2025) with UFC Abu Dhabi. That’s where former middleweight champion, Robert Whittaker, collides with red-hot submission specialist, Reinier de Ridder, in a fast-paced main event mashup scheduled for five, five-minute rounds. In UFC Abu Dhabi’s co-main event, former 135-pound titleholder, Petr Yan, locks horns with once-beaten bantamweight bruiser, Marcus McGhee, with a spot in the division title chase up for grabs.
Don’t miss a single second of face-punching action!
Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Abu Dhabi fight card right here, starting with the ESPN/ESPN+ “Prelims” matches, which are scheduled to begin at 12 p.m. ET, then the remaining main card balance on ABC/ESPN (simulcast on ESPN+) at 3 p.m. ET.
To check out the latest and greatest UFC Abu Dhabi: “Whittaker vs. de Ridder” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.
