Athletes
MARC-ANDRE BARRIAULT AIMS TO KEEP MOMENTUM ROLLING
French-Canadian Veteran Discusses Emotional Win In Montreal, Quick Return In Abu Dhabi
Marc-Andre Barriault was in a precarious position heading into his clash with Bruno Silva at UFC 315 back in May.
Stuck on a three-fight losing streak and making the walk on the final fight of his contract, the 35-year-old veteran knew his back was against the wall as he readied to step into the fray at the Bell Centre in Montreal.
But, at the same time, the French-Canadian middleweight was in familiar surroundings, competing in his home province for the first time in nearly seven years, in an arena he’d had success in previously, which made everything leading up to his preliminary card scrap with Silva feel comfortable and easy.
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“I was aware of everything,” Barriault said with a smile from his hotel room in Abu Dhabi, where he’s set to face off with Shara Magomedov on the main card of this weekend’s UFC on ABC fight card from Etihad Arena. “I’m not gonna lie: I knew my back was against the wall, for sure, but I feel like every time my back was against the wall, something happens inside of me. When I don’t have anything to lose, I just focus on myself and I know I can do great things.
“Honestly, I feel like the fight in Montreal was kind of easy for me — going back to my roots, seeing my people, speaking the same language,” he added. “The whole fight week in Montreal was fun for me; I had no nerves at all, everything was in a flow state.”
That calmness and belief in his own abilities translated into action once the Octagon door was closed behind him, as Barriault was able to quickly close the distance and land a crushing elbow to the side of Silva’s head that immediately halted the contest and sent the partisan crowd at the Bell Centre into hysterics.
“It was crazy,” Barriault began when asked about the emotions that washed over him following the devastating knockout, which earned him a Performance of the Night bonus, as well as a new contract. “I was in another state because as soon as I felt him going down and the referee stopped the fight, I jumped on the cage.
“Normally, the commission guy asks us to go down, but I feel like he knew I needed that moment to soak in everything from the crowd. I even started crying a little bit because all the stress, all the emotion was leaving my system, and I was like, ‘Okay Marc — you deserve this moment. Take it in, this is yours.’
“The one in Montreal was special for me — it was the cherry on top, especially after everything that happened to me. Coming back with a big knockout — my first real big knockout in the UFC, so early in the first round; that was kind of perfect for me.”
And the perfect evening was capped in quintessential Montreal form, too.
“A good old poutine in Montreal,” Barriault said with a laugh when asked how he celebrated the triumph. “I fought early, so I had the chance to come back to the arena to watch a couple fights on the main card, and then me and my family and friends gathered and we went to La Banquise — it’s a nice place; a 24-hour spot for good poutine in Montreal.
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“I think we were 20 people inside, ordered a good poutine, and a couple beers.”
As soon as he returned to Deerfield Beach, Florida, where he lives and trains at Kill Cliff FC, Barriault got a call from his manager, with good news and a surprising question.
“I came back to Florida on the Tuesday after the fight, and on Wednesday morning, my manager called me and said, ‘I have more good news. First of all, they’re gonna give you a new contract, but they asked me how soon you’re able to fight?’”
With the promotion set to return to Abu Dhabi, they were looking for an opponent for Shara Magomedov, the popular Muay Thai stylist whose five-fight UFC career has thus far all taken place in the MENA region.
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Coming off a loss to Michael “Venom” Page earlier this year in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, they set their sights on the always game Barriault as the man for the job, and after thinking about how the two could potentially match up inside the Octagon, “Powerbar” accepted the challenge and hustled right back into another training camp.
“I started thinking about it, and my style and his style can be a good matchup together,” Barriault said, breaking down his process for agreeing to face Magomedov this weekend. “After the fight with Bruno, I gained a lot of confidence, so I said, ‘Just keep rolling. They gave you a raise, a new contract; they have full belief in you, so just go in, do your thing.’
“So I said okay and I jumped into another training camp,” he added, grinning. “I was more specific on my training this time because I’m fighting a striker like Shara, so I didn’t have to go crazy all the time. It was more specific to make sure I see everything and do my thing. I want to fight my fight, not his fight.”
While both men are billed as strikers, they are very different in the application of their craft.
Saturday's Fight By Fight Preview
Where Magomedov comes from a Muay Thai background and is at his best working from kicking range and being precise with his shot selection, Barriault is a blue-collar grinder that prefers to get inside and make things ugly. In order to succeed this weekend, he knows that is what he’s going to have to do.
“I’m a dirty boxer — I like to be inside, in close range, use uppercuts, knees, elbows,” began the Gatineau, Quebec native, offering his breakdown of the first of this weekend’s two middleweight main card battles. “I’m a pressure fighter, where he needs space and likes to bounce. He likes to throw crazy things and set up things. I need to make sure he’s not having time to think too much before he strikes because he likes to gauge and then attack.
“I think he’s not comfortable when he gets pressed against the cage, when he’s in the deep waters, so I need to close the range without getting hit too much; make sure I have a good shield, and maybe I can wrestle this guy.
“I know he has some Dagestani roots, but he’s not the same wrestler as (everyone else from that area),” he added with a smirk. “I will probably be able to do my clinch game, make him carry my weight, be heavy on top if we go to the ground, and then just make sure I don’t get caught with stupid things.”
After entering the year on a three-fight losing streak and walking into his last fight with an uncertain future in front of him, Barriault is now in a position where a victory on Saturday evening could shift send him into the final five months of the year in almost the completely opposite position.
And while he knows the challenge before him is strong and the odds, quite literally, are against him, he’s ready to bet on himself again (not literally) and take another satisfying flight back to Florida on the high of a second straight victory.
“Going for back-to-back wins after what happened last year, I feel like it’s going to be another statement, for myself, but for my career also, just to prove that it doesn’t always matter (what the results are): you just have to trust yourself, take the opportunity, and make the most of it.
“Coming here, into enemy territory, as the underdog, it’s going to be a sweet taste,” he said of beating Magomedov. “I just need to make sure I do my best, fight hard, and people know why they put me in front of this guy.
“I know I’m gonna gain a lot of fans, a lot of respect, and a big win, for sure.”
UFC Fight Night: Whittaker vs De Ridder took place live from Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on July 26, 2025. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!
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