Shara Magomedov expresses dismay at controversial 2024 Paris Olympics opening ceremony: "Humiliating human values"
Shara Magomedov recently voiced his opinion on the controversial opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. Magomedov was among many who criticized the festivities last week, calling it a shame and a black mark on the esteemed sporting event.
The ceremony has drawn criticism, with one particular segment featuring drag artists coming under heavy fire. Some have speculated that it was an effort to parody Leonardo da Vinci's famous mural of The Last Supper. Despite the organizers' insistence that they didn't mean to offend anyone, there has been a lot of criticism in the days since.
In a recent interview with Red Corner MMA, Magomedov expressed his disappointment with the Paris Olympics, saying:
''Honestly speaking, I was in shock. I felt like they just tried to mock everybody. It rather looked like a meme than a real official ceremony. They really mocked people watching it. I used to be a big fan of the Olympics and collected memorabilia from Atlanta, Sydney, etc. I collected those Olympic memorabilia, and it's still kept at my place. But now I feel like burning all these stuff down.''
He added:
''Now I have no regrets about not competing at this Olympics, because now the UFC is the real Olympics for me. Not the Olympics, which is just insanity in action. Humiliating human values and all sports. It's not about sports, it's just a weird mix, mocking all the religions, all the moral values. Somehow, they don't let Russia into the Olympics, but Israel is there competing.''
Check out Shara Magomedov's comments below:
As for the MMA scene, Magomedov defeated Bruno Silva via unanimous decision to make his promotional debut at UFC 294 last year. The undefeated middleweight prospect defeated another Brazilian Antonio Trocoli by third-round TKO in his most recent octagon outing at UFC Saudi Arabia.
Shara Magomedov explains his decision to face Michal Oleksiejczuk on short notice
Shara Magomedov is set to face Michal Oleksiejczuk in a middleweight bout at UFC Abu Dhabi this weekend. Initially, Nick Diaz and Vicente Luque were slated to co-headline the event. However, with Diaz sidelined, the UFC has scheduled this bout on short notice.
In the aforementioned interview, Magomedov previewed his fight with Oleksiejczuk. The 30-year-old also discussed taking the bout on short notice, saying:
''I thought that was a chance I could not miss out on, so I flew here right away and asked Dana White to make a fight for me here and he got me what I wanted.''
Check out Shara Magomedov's comments below (7:56):