Shara Magomedov struggled a bit as a massive favorite on the UFC Saudi Arabia main card, but he took advantage of an absolutely exhausted Antonio Trocoli in the third round to get a big knockout.
“Bullet” improved to 2-0 inside the octagon — and 13-0 overall as a pro — with the knockout victory. Trocoli took the matchup on just three days’ notice after Joilton Lutterbach was forced to withdraw after a flagged drug test, with Lutterbach admitting to taking banned substances a day later.
Trocoli used his grappling to slow Magomedov down through the first two rounds, and even had to deal with Magomedov getting away with one of the worst fence grabs you will ever see in a UFC bout. Referee Marc Goddard eventually gave a stern warning prior to the start of the third round, but in the end it made little difference. Once the round started, Trocoli was so exhausted that he was essentially a defenseless target for the dangerous striker.