Magomedov was inspired by Michael Bisping, who won the UFC title with one eye

ABU DHABI – Shara Magomedov sees a path to a UFC title thanks to Michael Bisping.

Magomedov (14-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC), an up-and-coming UFC middleweight, has taken a lot of inspiration from Bisping, who won a UFC title while fighting with virtually one eye. Magomedov, who also lives with a visual impairment, has proof that such a thing is possible thanks to Bisping and hopes to follow in his footsteps.

“When it comes to Bisping, yes, he is a motivation because he is someone who has already taken this path,” Magomedov said at UFC 308 media day on Wednesday. “He showed the way and gave me an example. It is much easier to follow a person's path than to walk around in the dark. He is a motivation for me and other people. He said anything is possible, you shouldn’t give up and keep going and keep pursuing your dream.”

Magomedov returns to the cage this Saturday in the opening bout of the UFC 308 pay-per-view, taking place at the Etihad Arena. Magomedov has trained and trained with Petrosyan (9-3 MMA, 3-2 UFC) in the past.

He feels comfortable fighting with one eye and has no fear that Petrosyan or any of his future opponents will attempt to exploit his limited vision.

“I think it's a little different because I've had 19 fights in my career and every opponent tried to take advantage of that but it didn't go their way.”

For more information on the card, check out MMA Junkie's UFC 308 event hub.