Final · 26 Oct 2024

Magomedov def. Petrosyan

KO/TKO · spinning backfist · Round 2 · 4:52

Magomedov vs Petrosyan — Middleweight · UFC 308

Magomedov (15-0-0) vs Petrosyan (9-4-0)

Middleweight
3 rounds
UFC 308 • 26 Oct 2024
Abu Dhabi, UAE

What happened

Shara Magomedov produced one of the signature knockouts of 2024. After Armen Petrosyan gave him a difficult striking look, Magomedov found the opening late in the second and ended it with a rare double spinning backfist at 4:52 — a Performance of the Night finish that pushed him to 15-0.

Watch

The full fight.

Analysts

No verified pre-fight analyst picks are logged for this historical bout.

Track record rows appear only when a timestamped source has been reviewed.

Archive

Pre-fight material — kept for transparency, folded by default.

Tale of the Tape

Records & career stats — as they entered fight night
Magomedov Petrosyan
  1. OutputSig. strikes landed / min 5.55 5.84
  2. Striking def.Striking defense 45% 53%
  3. DurabilitySig. strikes absorbed / min 3.62 3.31
  4. Takedown def.Takedown defense 73% 41%
  5. FinishingFinish rate 71% 70%
15-0-0
Record
9-4-0
4-1 last 5
Recent formRecent formWin–loss record over the fighter’s last five bouts, newest first, as carried in their UFC/FightMetric career stats.
1-4 last 5
32
Age
35
1.88 m
Height — Petrosyan leads
1.91 m
185 cm
Reach — Magomedov leads
180 cm
StanceStanceWhich side a fighter leads from — a striking term, not a religious one. Orthodox: right-handed, left foot and hand forward (the common default). Southpaw: the mirror image, right side forward (usually a left-hander). Switch: changes between the two during a fight.
Orthodox
71%
Finish rateFinish %Finish rateThe share of a fighter’s wins that ended inside the distance — by KO/TKO or submission — rather than going to the judges’ scorecards. Higher means more finishes.
70%
12
Wins by KO/TKOKO/TKO wins — Magomedov leads
7
0
Wins by submissionSub wins
0
5.55
Sig. strikes landed / minStrikes / min — Petrosyan leadsSignificant strikes landed per minuteAverage number of significant strikes a fighter lands for every minute of fight time — a read on striking output and pace. From UFC/FightMetric career stats.
5.84
3.62
Sig. strikes absorbed / minAbsorbed / min — Petrosyan leadsSignificant strikes absorbed per minuteAverage number of significant strikes a fighter takes for every minute of fight time. Lower is better — it means they get hit less often. From UFC/FightMetric career stats.
3.31
45%
Striking defenseStrike def. — Petrosyan leadsStriking defenseThe percentage of opponents’ significant strikes that do not land — strikes slipped, blocked or evaded. Higher is better. Not the same as striking accuracy, which counts your own strikes that land. From UFC/FightMetric.
53%
73%
Takedown defenseTD def. — Magomedov leadsTakedown defenseThe percentage of opponents’ takedown attempts that are stuffed. Higher means harder to put on the mat. From UFC/FightMetric.
41%
13:54
Avg. fight timeAvg. timeAverage fight timeThe mean length of the fighter’s bouts (minutes:seconds) — a rough read on whether they tend to finish early or go the distance. From UFC/FightMetric.
Russia
Nationality
Armenia
GOR MMA
Team
Academy MMA

Career stats per UFC.com; recent form is each fighter's last five bouts. Numbers reflect records coming into fight night. Bars compare each stat on a fixed scale; the “Edge” marker flags the leading corner where the gap is meaningful. The snapshot plots five career rates — output, striking defense, durability (strikes absorbed, inverted), takedown defense and finish rate — each normalised on its own scale.

Pre-fight analysis — how we saw it going in

Case for Magomedov

Magomedov entered 14-0 with 11 knockouts, having finished or outpointed all three of his UFC opponents since debuting in October 2023. His unorthodox spinning game — double backfists, wheel kicks, and rapid combinations thrown from unpredictable angles — had already made him one of the promotion's most-watched prospects. Against a striker who would stand in front of him, his danger was genuine and difficult to blueprint.

Case for Petrosyan

Petrosyan was a technical Muay Thai-based middleweight with a 9-3 record who had beaten multiple UFC veterans. His most recent fight had ended in a submission loss to elite grappler Rodolfo Vieira, but on the feet he remained threatening. His leg kicks, range management, and Thai clinch work were well-calibrated to disrupt the spacing Magomedov needed to generate his spinning attacks.

What We Were Watching For

  • Would Petrosyan's leg-kick pressure and clinch work strip away the distance Magomedov's spinning attacks depend on?
  • How Magomedov handled sustained pressure — his chin and counter-striking when forced back — was genuinely untested at UFC level.
  • Magomedov had not yet faced a dedicated Muay Thai range-closer; Petrosyan's ability to walk him down and stay tight was a different problem from the opponents he'd handled before.

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