Shara Magomedov has disclosed that he contracted dengue fever during a training camp in Thailand ahead of his July 2025 fight with Marc-Andre Barriault, spending roughly two weeks bedridden with a 104°F fever, skin sores, and hair loss. He traveled to Abu Dhabi still weakened, yet won the bout. Immediately after the fight, Magomedov underwent surgery and then went two days without sleep, and spent a further two weeks struggling to breathe before fully recovering.
Shara Magomedov has revealed that he competed in his July 2025 middleweight bout against Marc-Andre Barriault while battling a serious case of dengue fever, disclosing the full extent of his illness for the first time.
Magomedov, known as "Bullet," contracted the mosquito-borne virus during a training camp in Thailand ahead of the fight. He spent roughly two weeks bedridden with a fever reaching 104 degrees Fahrenheit, developing skin sores and losing hair in the process. Despite arriving in Abu Dhabi still weakened by the illness, the 32-year-old Russian secured the victory. The ordeal did not end there: Magomedov underwent surgery immediately after the fight, then went two days without sleep and spent a further two weeks struggling to breathe before making a full recovery.
The Gorets Fight Club product carries a record of 17-1-0 and is one of the more dynamic strikers in the middleweight division, landing 5.93 significant strikes per minute at a striking accuracy of 62 percent — a figure that ranks among the best in the weight class.
Barriault, the 36-year-old Canadian known as "Powerbar," entered the contest with a record of 17-11-0 fighting out of Kill Cliff FC. He brings a durable, high-output style of his own, averaging 5.65 significant strikes per minute, and supplements his striking with 0.34 takedown attempts per 15 minutes.
Why it matters
- Magomedov's willingness to compete through a debilitating illness underscores the physical toll the camp and fight cycle placed on his body heading into the second half of 2025.
- The disclosure raises questions about how his health may have affected his performance and recovery timeline, potentially affecting his scheduling going forward.
- At 17-1-0, Magomedov remains a prominent name in the middleweight division, and any extended recovery period carries rankings implications in a crowded weight class.
