Shara Magomedov has revealed 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 fever of 40°C, skin pustules, and hair loss. He flew to Abu Dhabi still weakened and competed despite barely being able to train. After winning the fight, his health ordeal continued — he went straight from the cage to the operating table and went nearly four days without sleep, followed by two weeks of breathing difficulties.
Shara Magomedov has revealed that he competed against Marc-Andre Barriault at UFC Fight Night in July 2025 while recovering from a serious bout of dengue fever, disclosing that the illness left him bedridden for roughly two weeks during his training camp in Thailand.
The Russian middleweight, known as "Bullet," told of running a fever of 40 degrees Celsius, developing skin pustules, and suffering significant hair loss before flying to Abu Dhabi still badly weakened. He had barely been able to train. Despite those conditions, Magomedov, now 17-1, stepped into the cage and won the fight. The aftermath was equally grueling — he went directly from the octagon to the operating table, then endured nearly four days without sleep, followed by two weeks of breathing difficulties. The 32-year-old out of Gorets Fight Club is one of the division's most dangerous strikers, landing 5.93 significant strikes per minute at a striking accuracy of 62 percent.
Barriault, a 36-year-old Canadian fighting out of Kill Cliff FC and nicknamed "Powerbar," came into the bout carrying a record of 17-11. At six-foot-one with a 74-inch reach, he is a high-output fighter in his own right, averaging 5.65 significant strikes per minute, and adds a modest wrestling dimension with 0.34 takedown attempts per 15 minutes.
Why it matters
- Magomedov's victory carries additional weight given the physical state in which he competed, raising questions about what he can do at full health.
- The disclosure adds context to a middleweight division already watching Magomedov closely as a rising contender at 17-1.
- Competing through serious illness and then requiring immediate post-fight surgery underlines the physical toll the camp and contest took on him well beyond a normal fight week.
