Shara Magomedov reveals what Cristiano Ronaldo said to inspire him after first UFC defeat

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After suffering his first UFC defeat, Shara Magomedov has revealed a private chat he had with Cristiano Ronaldo that helped lift his spirits.

The Dagestani kickboxer, who’s quickly becoming a fan favourite, caught Ronaldo’s attention before his bout with Michael ‘Venom’ Page in Riyadh earlier this year. Despite the pre-fight meeting, Magomedov lost the three-round contest.

Even so, Ronaldo reached out after the fight to offer some encouragement. Now, four months later, Magomedov is set to return at UFC Abu Dhabi against Marc-Andre Barriault.

Shara Magomedov and Cristiano Ronaldo’s supportive exchange after his first loss

Especially after his move to Al-Nassr, Cristiano Ronaldo has been regularly seen at combat sports events as a fan, which seems to have helped him build a strong bond with Shara Magomedov.

The Portuguese star is known to be close with Francis Ngannou, and it seems he’s taken an interest in ‘Shara Bullet’ as well. “Yeah we spoke,” Magomedov said when asked about their conversation.

“He just said to keep your head high and don’t get upset. He reminded me to just keep doing the work so I can come back to the winning streak.”

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Shara Magomedov set to make big return at UFC Abu Dhabi

Magomedov admitted after the defeat to MVP that he’d been dealing with serious health issues before the fight. Now, with time to recover behind him, he’s looking to make a statement and remind fans what he’s capable of.

“I’ve said it before that I had health issues but at the same time I said that I felt twice as good as I felt before,” he admitted. “But in reality, my coaches are saying that I could feel even better and be twice as good as I am right now.

“As long as I keep disciplined and approach this with the right mindset I can be great. Before I used to come into this just as an entertainer, just to entertain myself and my fans and have fun, it was like a hobby to me.

“Now I have a whole different mindset, it’s like a job to me. I think that I will be able to now keep moving forward.”