Dana White says ‘bad boy’ Shara Magomedov needs to upgrade takedown defense after UFC 294 debut win

Dana White reacts to Shara Magomedov’s debut win at UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi – and has a suggestion for improving his wrestling.

ABU DHABI – [autotag]Shara Magomedov[/autotag]’s highly anticipated UFC debut was a successful one.

The unbeaten Russian middleweight debuted Saturday against Bruno Silva on the preliminary card of UFC 294 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. Magomedov won a 30-27 unanimous decision. He did so with his high-level striking, making up for the several times he was taken down by the Brazilian.

UFC CEO [autotag]Dana White[/autotag] liked what he saw overall from Magomedov, but did have a critique.

“He’s a bad boy,” White told reporters at the UFC 294 post-fight press conference. “He’s tough. His first fight in the UFC, I don’t know how he’s from Dagestan and has zero takedown defense, but other than that he looked incredible. I like the kid.”

White is high on the potential for “Bullet” in the octagon, but says wrestling defense is a must he’s got to work on if he wants to unlock it at its fullest.

“I don’t know if he’s the future of the sport, but he’s definitely got a future here,” White said. “He’s got to work on his takedown defense. In the UFC, you have to have the full game. Obviously his kickboxing is nasty: Leg kicks, head kicks, elbows, obviously. But he’s got to tighten up his wrestling game, or he’ll get beat here very quickly.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 294.

Shara Magomedov wants quick return in December in Shanghai – and bent Dana White’s ear about it after UFC 294

Highly touted middleweight Shara Magomedov beat Bruno Silva in his promotional debut at UFC 294. He wants a quick turnaround in Shanghai.

ABU DHABI – [autotag]Shara Magomedov[/autotag] beat Bruno Silva with a unanimous decision Saturday to open up the preliminary card at UFC 294 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.

Take a look inside the fight with Magomedov, a highly touted middleweight who won his UFC debut.

UFC 294 post-event facts: Kamaru Usman hits uncharted territory with three-fight skid

Check out the post-event stats from UFC 294, including Kamaru Usman’s shift to a near-record winning streak to three straight losses.

UFC 294 on Saturday marked the promotion’s annual trip to Abu Dhabi, and although the card at Etihad Arena on Yas Island started slow, it ended with a bang.

[autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag] (25-1 MMA, 14-1 UFC) put a bow on the evening when he emerged from his rematch with fellow champion [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag] (26-3 MMA, 13-2 UFC) as the lightweight titleholder courtesy of a first-round head kick knockout.

For more on the numbers coming from the main event, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from UFC 294.

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UFC 294 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Khamzat Chimaev gets $6,000 in return bout

Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 294 took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $237,000.

ABU DHABI – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 294 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $237,000.

The program, a comprehensive plan that includes outfitting requirements, media obligations and other items under the fighter code of conduct, replaces the previous payments made under the UFC Athlete Outfitting Policy.

UFC 294 took place at Etihad Arena. The main card aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN+ and YouTube.

The full UFC 294 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

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[autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag]: $42,000
def. [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag]: $42,000

[autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag]: $16,000

[autotag]Magomed Ankalaev[/autotag]: $11,000
vs. [autotag]Johnny Walker[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Ikram Aliskerov[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Warlley Alves[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Said Nurmagomedov[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Muin Gafurov[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Muhammad Mokaev[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Tim Elliott[/autotag]: $16,000

[autotag]Trevor Peek[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Mohammad Yahya[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Javid Basharat[/autotag]: $4,500
vs. [autotag]Victor Henry[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Sedriques Dumas[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Abu Azaitar[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Mike Breeden[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Anshul Jubli[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Muhammad Naimov[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Nathaniel Wood[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Viktoriia Dudakova[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Jinh Yu Frey[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Shara Magomedov[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Bruno Silva[/autotag]: $6,000

Under the UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program’s payout tiers, which appropriate the money generated by Venum’s multi-year sponsorship with the UFC, fighters are paid based on their total number of UFC bouts, as well as Zuffa-era WEC fights (January 2007 and later) and Zuffa-era Strikeforce bouts (April 2011 and later). Fighters with 1-3 bouts receive $4,000 per appearance; 4-5 bouts get $4,500; 6-10 bouts get $6,000; 11-15 bouts earn $11,000; 16-20 bouts pocket $16,000; and 21 bouts and more get $21,000. Additionally, champions earn $42,000 while title challengers get $32,000.

In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-30 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.

Full 2023 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $6,888,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $21,407,000

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 294.

UFC 294 video: Hear from each winner, guest fighters backstage

Check out what the UFC 294 winners and guest fighters had to say backstage at Saturday’s event in Abu DHabi.

ABU DHABI – UFC 294 took place Saturday with 13 bouts on the lineup. We’ve got you covered with backstage winner interviews from Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.

You can hear from all the UFC 294 winners by checking out their post-fight news conferences below.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 294.

Shara Magomedov def. Bruno Silva at UFC 294: Best photos from Abu Dhabi

Check out the best photos from Shara Magomedov’s unanimous decision win over Bruno Silva at UFC 294 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.

Check out the best photos from [autotag]Shara Magomedov[/autotag]’s unanimous decision win over [autotag]Bruno Silva[/autotag] at UFC 294 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. (Photos by Craig Kidwell, USA TODAY Sports; MMA Junkie; and UFC)