Fans were furious after referee Marc Goddard didn't punish Sharabutdin Magomedov for a blatant fence grab against Antonio Trocoli.
At UFC Saudi Arabia, Magomedov was matched up against a short-notice opponent, Trocoli, after Joilton Lutterbach was pulled for a failed drug test. The Brazilian accepted the opportunity against 'Bullet' after his fight last week at UFC Vegas 93 was scratched at the last minute.
Trocoli's game plan primarily consisted of pushing Magomedov against the cage and working in the clinch. In round two, the UFC debutant nearly landed a takedown before 'Bullet' grabbed the fence and received a warning from Goddard.
The controversial sequence was posted on Twitter by ESPN MMA, leading to fans voicing their frustrations in the comment section:
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"Shara got bailed out"
"Not taking a point is wild"
"If he wins this fight... The UFC needs to tighten up"
"Blatantly rigged for these Russians"
Watch Sharabutdin Magomedov grab the fence against Antonio Trocoli below:
Sharabutdin Magomedov survived the sequence and began taking over in round three when Antonio Trocoli ran out of energy. With less than three minutes left, Magomedov let his hands go and landed a devastating left hook to drop Trocoli for a knockout win in his second UFC fight.
Magomedov made his UFC debut in October 2023 with a professional MMA record of 11-0. 'Bullet' came in as a highly-touted prospect and started his promotional tenure with a unanimous decision win against Bruno Silva at UFC 294.
He showcased his improved takedown defense against Trocoli at UFC Saudi Arabia. Moving forward, the 30-year-old has plenty of room to evolve before climbing the middleweight rankings, but he's earned the attention of MMA fans.
Although it's unconfirmed, Magomedov could be on track for a $50,000 performance bonus, as he and Volkan Oezdemir are the only fighters to secure a knockout at UFC Saudi Arabia thus far.
Watch Sharabutdin Magomedov knock out Antonio Trocoli below: